The Murder Suspect
by Carlee Adison
Summary: Bianca di Angelo's murderer is loose in Manhattan and everyone is convinced that it's her brother, Nico. The issue? No one has seen Nico since the night Bianca died. But Jason Grace doesn't care much about all that. Nico is the least of his concerns. Until Jason comes face to face with the alleged killer and learns the dark truth. All in all, it's not the best time to fall in love.
1. Just Your Typical Day In Manhattan

_A/N: At long last, today is the day! Welcome to my new story, The Murder Suspect. Ever since the idea came to me last February, I have been eager to share this story with the Jasico community. Now I finally am going to, with a new chapter every Friday! That is, unless I ever catch up to where I currently am in the story (as of now I'm working on chapter 12) and in that case the update schedule will likely change. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it!_

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**CH. 1—Just Your Typical Day in Manhattan (Minus The Typical Part)**

...

**Sixteen Year Old Nico di Angelo Still Missing After Murder of His Sister, Now Prime Suspect.**

Jason eyed the headline warily—one of the dozens over the past few weeks that all said more or less the same thing. The media hadn't shut up about "New York's Newest Teenage Psychopath" since the story first hit the scene. Jason had assumed the story would be old news by now, but each day the suspected killer remained loose, the murder only got bigger and bigger, news of it spreading across the entire northeastern United States.

It was hard to believe that it had been over two whole weeks since all of this commotion started. Two weeks since Nico vanished seemingly into thin air. The last person to see him? _Bianca_, the newspapers always reported dramatically, as if it were part of some soap opera and not real life. So where was Nico? Over eight million people wanted to know.

It all began when Maria and Hades di Angelo had arrived home from a date night to find their daughter Bianca's blood splattered over the walls. According to the police, there was no sign of forced entry _and_ all of the doors had remained locked that night, meaning that no one else but Nico could have done it. On top of that, his fingerprints were all over Bianca's body and the knife that killed her. The evening news also reported, perhaps with a little _too_ much enthusiasm to be tasteful, that Bianca's body had suffered multiple wounds. Her murderer, whoever they were had stabbed her several times before actually killing her, or perhaps that they killed her and then continued to stab her for good measure. Jason didn't know which one would be worse.

It was all so bizarre. Jason went to school with these people. Or at least, he did up until two weeks ago. Now, Jason would admit that he was far from the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes, but you'd think he'd at least be able to tell if he was walking the same halls as a murderer, right?

Granted, Jason had never said more than four words to Nico in his entire life, but was that quiet, tired-looking sophomore really the murdering type? Yeah yeah, anyone was capable of murder Jason supposed, Nico included, but capable of murdering his own _sister? _If there was one thing about Nico that Jason knew, it was that the kid seemed to care more about his sister than any siblings Jason had ever observed, including his relationship with his own sister, Thalia. Could that all have been a front?

When Jason thought about it, Bianca was probably one of the only people he'd ever seen Nico actually speak with. As far as he knew, they were the best of friends. They sat together at lunch, traveled together between classes, and Jason had even seen Bianca stand up for Nico once against some idiot sophomore bully named Cal.

It was a conundrum all right, but not any of Jason's business. Didn't he have more to worry about than the inconsistencies in a murder that had nothing to do with him?

Still, while he may not have been obsessed with the dirty details like the rest of Manhattan, his curious mind couldn't cease thinking about Nico and Bianca.

He didn't understand what could possibly drive Nico to murder her. Sure, Jason fought with his _own_ sister from time to time, but he would never, not in a million years, do anything to seriously hurt her. And even he and Thalia weren't as close as Nico had been with Bianca, which only spurred a whole mess of questions.

How could Nico do it?

Why would he do it?

Did he really do it?

Who else could have?

Jason had probably read a few too many murder mystery novels...

The madness hadn't ceased one bit, in fact, it only got worse as time wore on. The longer Nico stayed missing, the more New Yorkers salivated over the story. Students at Goode High School all had a theory of their own, ranging from Nico joining the mafia, to Nico moving to Africa and becoming a missionary, to alien abduction. As time stretched on and Nico didn't turn up anywhere, the gossip got wilder and wilder. One senior girl, Silena Beauregard, _swore _she saw a girl that looked just like Nico and was now convinced that he changed genders to avoid being found. Connor Stoll heard that Nico ran away with the circus. Clarisse La Rue came up with the idea that Nico must be shacking up with some shady older drug lord in the Bronx.

Personally, Jason wasn't totally sure if Nico was even still alive. Murderer or not, New York was hardly a safe place for a teenage boy to be all on his own. And if Nico was still alive, Jason had a feeling he wasn't hanging around the city. Probably the boy, if truly alive, was in Mexico by now if not further. It was highly unlikely that Nico walked around town in a dress and high heels, contrary to Silena's belief.

How long it would take them to find Nico, or Nico's body, or anything really that could put the case to rest? He didn't know how many more reporters he could take crowding around outside his school and trying to shove cameras and microphones in his face. For God's sake, Jason had barely even known the kid!

Not that he was unsympathetic about the whole situation, but it really was getting old after seventeen days. Jason just wanted the whole thing to be over. He chucked the newspaper to the side.

"I won't be home until late tonight," Jason's mother informed him upon entering the kitchen, her personal way of telling him good morning.

_Surprise surprise, _Jason thought to himself, letting out a heavy breath. "How late is late?" He was playing the parent, like always.

His mother shrugged. "I'll be back before you have to go to school," she assured him, already smelling faintly of cigarette smoke and less faintly of alcohol. The teenager checked his watch—his father's watch, actually—and let out another breath. Not even seven thirty in the morning and his mom was already buzzed.

"Please don't bring anyone home with you this time, I don't like when you bring guys around here," Jason said, rubbing his temples.

"Whatever you say, _Mom,_" she teased, rolling her eyes at her son. Mrs. Grace scooped up a muffin—Jason had made breakfast, again—and then left the kitchen, probably to spend the better part of the day in her room.

No, Jason's mom did _not _work a nightshift at the hospital, if that wasn't clear. In less, of course, "hospital" was code for every bar south of 57th St.

Things hadn't always been this way with Jason and his mother. Before his father died, their relationship had been great. His family was together, happy even. Everyone was alive. Thalia was still at home. His mother was sober. Sure it hadn't been _perfect. _Jupiter Grace had unreasonably high expectations and liked to bully his two children when they failed at something, both physically and verbally, but no family is perfect, right? Still, at least they _were_ a family. Then, four years ago, Jason's father's private plane had crashed, killing him and everyone on board. Mr. Jupiter Grace had been an incredibly wealthy businessman while he was alive, and left his family behind an enormous sum of money so they could continue to support themselves without changing anything. Except, things did change. Jason's mom had always been a stay at home mom, but after the plane crash she had evolved into a stay at home drunk instead. Although she was barely at home. A stay at _bar_ drunk, perhaps. She woke up most mornings with a hangover and spent her nights going out, getting even more drunk, and picking up whatever guy she could find. Three years ago, Thalia graduated high school and got accepted into Stanford. She'd tried to take Jason with her, to get him away from their mother, but Mrs. Grace had forbid it. She said she would call the cops if Thalia tried to take her son away. God only knew why, since she hardly seemed to care about him. Nonetheless, Jason stayed behind. He dropped out of extra-curricular activities, no longer caring about football or student council or anything other than getting out of New York. And now, in less than four months, Jason would graduate high school, and then he would finally be able to get away, too. He had sent off his application to Stanford—and every other school at least a thousand miles away from New York—in December and couldn't wait to receive a letter that would take him far, far away.

…

Despite the fact that Jason's father had made sure that both of his children and his wife would have enough money to live the wealthy lifestyle they always had, Jason didn't buy much of anything with the money his father left behind. With the exception of groceries and a few other necessities, the money went untouched. For anything Jason wanted for himself—clothes, shoes, books, music—he used his own money that he earned working at a small bookstore/café a few blocks from where he lived. Delphi Books was usually quiet, and didn't have as big of a selection as the major bookstores in Manhattan, but it had been one of Jason's favorite places for years and his job there was the best part of his day. Chiron, the owner, gave him discounted prices on any books he wanted, and he was given access to as much coffee and hot chocolate from the café as he could drink. Delphi was one of the only places Jason felt truly, blissfully happy.

"Jase, come on! Your shift is _after _school, not before! We're gonna be late, man!" Leo Valdez, Jason's best friend, hollered. He poked his head through the front door of the small store. A bell chimed above his head as he did, making Chiron turn to the short Latino boy. "Leo, you scare away the customers," he joked, shaking his head.

"What customers?" Leo retorted, stepping completely into the warmth of the store and crossing over to Jason as he pulled a hardcover book straight from a new delivery box.

"Sorry, I'll just be one second. This one just came out today, I've been waiting to get it for months," he exclaimed, heading over to check himself out. Chiron was technically the one working right now, but Jason didn't need his help putting money in the cash register.

"You and your books," Leo sighed.

"Oh shut up," Jason said, smacking his best friend's arm with the newly purchased hardcover. Turning, he called back to his boss, "I'll be here around three-thirty, Chiron!"

"Yeah, see you then," the bookseller replied, waving goodbye to the boys. Jason shivered as he and Leo ventured out into the early February morning. It had been getting consistently colder over the past week. Jason regretted not wearing a heavier coat. The boys still had a fifteen minute walk ahead of them and the sun was buried behind a thick jacket of clouds. At least it wasn't snowing.

"I can't wait to start reading this," Jason said with a smile, admiring the new book in his hands.

"Do I need to give you and the book a minute?" Leo smirked.

The blond glared at him, "If you knew how to read, maybe you'd realize how fun it can be."

"Oh, I _know_ how to read. I've been reading newspaper articles about Mr. Psycho Murderer all week. A lot more interesting than your little ghost story."

"It's not a ghost story, it's a mystery. And Mr. Psycho Murderer has a name you know. God, I hope they catch _whoever_ did it soon. I'm tired of hearing about it all day."

"By whoever you mean Nico, right? Jase, come on, everyone knows he did it. And why are you reading a mystery book when we're all living in one right now? The Disappearing Boy, by Nico di Angelo." That earned Leo an eye roll from Jason. Even his best friend had Nico fever.

"Honestly, everyone is way too interested in this whole Nico thing. Yeah, it's crazy what happened, but when are people going to stop talking about it? Have you heard Silena's theory?"

"Yeah, what a load of crap, right? He obviously escaped into the sewers. If giant alligators can live down there, then so can sociopathic sister killers."

Jason rolled his eyes and chuckled, "I hope you're not serious."

"I hope I'm not serious, too. Then I guess that'd make me just as crazy as di Angelo. Do you know his last name means 'of the angels' in Italian? Talk about ironic, huh?"

"Enough about Nico. We aren't the cops, it's not our job to decide what's happened to him."

"Okay, fine. But if Clarisse turns out to be right about the whole shacking up with a drug lord story, I owe her fifty bucks."

"What kind of an idiot makes fifty dollar bets about the whereabouts of teenage boys they barely know?"

"This guy!" Leo bragged, pointing at his chest with both thumbs.

"Idiot."

"Nerd."

…

When Jason and Leo arrived at school, everything was just as dramatized as it had been every day for weeks. Shrines to Bianca lined the sidewalk in front of the building, even though most of the people who were "mourning" her didn't actually know her at all. Attention seekers still talked to reporters like each one of them knew everything there was to know about the di Angelo siblings.

_What was Bianca's favorite color?_

_Oh, I don't know, but I'm so sad she's gone. We were practically sisters!_

Jason rolled his eyes. He only knew of two people in the whole school that had actually been friendly and interacted with the di Angelos. Percy Jackson and Hazel Levesque. They weren't friends, exactly. Maybe somewhat with Bianca, but not quite with Nico. Still, they had at least talked to him, something that probably 99% of the school couldn't say. Even before Nico was a murder suspect, he had always been a bit of a creepy kid. Percy and Hazel didn't seem to mind though. Last year in art, Jason watched Hazel make conversation with Nico and sometimes noticed Percy walk with him to lunch.

And yet, these were also two of the few students who had refused to say a single thing to reporters. They'd been extremely quiet lately, grieving in private. Jason didn't know much about Hazel or Percy—Hazel was a sophomore and Percy spent most of his time with his girlfriend Annabeth—but he respected them. They didn't care if they got noticed, they weren't out seeking attention, or spreading ridiculous rumors about why Nico killed Bianca or where Nico could be now, and they were the exact opposite of most of the other kids at Goode.

"Earth to Jase?" A female voice lulled. Fingers appeared in front of Jason and snapped in his face, yanking him back to the present.

Less than an arm's length away from him was Jason's other best friend, Piper McLean. Piper and Jason hadn't grown up together like Jason and Leo, but they'd been great friends ever since she and her father moved to New York from Los Angeles in seventh grade. Things had taken a slightly awkward turn for them freshman year, when they'd given dating a shot, but since then they'd managed to regain their previous friendship. Piper was a special girl. She didn't try to impress people, even though she was more than capable of doing so. Piper was also one of the most beautiful girls Jason had ever known, but unlike other beautiful girls, she didn't let her looks affect the way she acted. She was down to earth, fun, friendly, and loyal. Jason used to wish that he could be attracted to her. That he could really commit to being in a relationship with her. Piper was the perfect girl for Jason, she really was . . . there was just one issue.

Jason wasn't interested in finding the perfect _girl. _Dating Piper had helped him finally come to terms with his sexuality. Oh, and making out with a gorgeous guy at a party had helped.

"Hey Pipes! What's up?"

"I could ask you the same question, space cadet. What were you thinking about so intently in there?" She knocked twice on Jason's head and laughed.

"Knowing Jason, probably that stupid new book he's holding," Leo teased, nudging his friend.

"Leo, don't call his book stupid. There is nothing wrong with reading for fun," Piper chided.

"Well, there's not much right with it either," joked Leo.

"It's okay, Pipes. Leo here is just jealous because he can barely make it through a picture book without getting confused," Jason smirked.

"Fuck off," Leo elbowed him. "If we were building things I could kick your ass any day. I have more useful things to do with my time than read dumbass mystery books."

"Language, Leo," Piper said.

"Fuck fuck fuck," sang the Latino boy, "Sue me."

"My dad had a great lawyer, maybe I'll take you up on that, Valdez."

At the top of the school steps stood a girl in a soft-looking white jacket and dark jeans. Her cinnamon colored hair framed her face with loose curls. When Leo noticed her, a grin spread across his lips. "Sue me later, Pipes. I'm gonna go mess with Calypso."

"Leave the girl alone, Leo," Piper said for probably the thousandth time.

"But she's so fun to mess with. And hot. Hot and fun to mess with is my type."

"I'm pretty sure loud and obnoxious isn't hers," Jason muttered.

"Oh whatever, go find some boy to make out with and leave me alone," Leo growled, leaving Jason and Piper and heading off toward Calypso, the girl he'd been tirelessly flirting with since the beginning of junior year.

Jason knew his face was red, and not from the cold. Leo had been harassing him about getting a boyfriend ever since Jason came out as gay. He wasn't ashamed of his sexuality at all, but if his straight best friend kept trying to play wingman, Jason was going to die of humiliation. Despite his persona of confidence and his apparent "golden boy" looks, Jason didn't exactly have much dating experience, especially not with boys. And he really wished Leo would stop pointing that out. Jason had never the type to go out digging for a relationship, and he didn't intend to start now.

"You know he just says that to mess with you," Piper said, nudging him with her shoulder as they passed through the doors and into the warmth of the school.

"Yeah, I know," Jason replied. "Well, I gotta get to stats, see you in English."

"See you then."

…

Jason spent his first four classes of the day—AP statistics, study hall, AP English, and mythology—reading under his desk. He already knew most of the crap his teachers were talking about anyway. Jason was of the belief that everything useful that students needed to learn in high school was taught long before the last semester of senior year.

Lunch was another version of the last two weeks' worth of lunches. Kids going around and gossiping about what appeared to be the only thing they knew how to talk about: Nico. Rachel Dare, a girl in Jason's seventh period drawing class, stopped by their table to ask Piper about some assignment for music history, all the while relaying a story she'd heard during second period that Katie Gardner, head of the recycling club, wanted to build a memorial garden for Bianca on the roof of the school (because where else can one plant a garden in Manhattan?)

While passing by Jason's table, Octavian Solace told Drew Tanaka that his lawyer father was sure that once caught, Nico would spend life in prison. Drew replied that he was probably lying dead under a bridge and it was only a matter of time before they found him. Jason, however, was more fascinated with the mystery in his book than the rumors burning through the school, and all of Manhattan, for that matter. Whether Nico really did kill Bianca or not, Jason just wished the matter could be solved and things could go back to a level of semi-normality.

"Have you really read over one hundred pages of that thing?" Leo asked, leaning over Jason's shoulder. "You just got it this morning."

Jason shrugged, "It's technically afternoon now."

"Not all of us read at a fourth grade level, Leo," Piper reminded.

Leo narrowed his eyes at her, opened his mouth for a witty comeback, and closed it again. Then, after a moment he said, "Hey, I'm ADHD, I can't help it if I don't have the attention span to read long boring books."

"Except, technically, ADHD kids are usually also geniuses."

"I am a technical genius, I don't have time for silly literature," Leo argued.

Jason decided to tune them out.

…

Work was easy that night. Not many people were in the mood to buy books, so Jason just helped Chiron unpack boxes and cleaned off the counters in the café. Annabeth Chase, Chiron's only other employee (a part timer, just like Jason) sat at the cash register and read a book. Jason may have gotten good grades in school, but he had nothing on Annabeth. She was easily the smartest girl in the grade. In fact, she'd read War and Peace in the third grade for a little "light reading" as she'd called it.

It wasn't necessary for both of them to work the same shift, as the store was especially empty during the week, but Jason suspected Chiron liked the company.

When Jason finished wiping down the café counters, he headed over to the register to talk to Annabeth. He wanted to read more of his book, but Jason was also curious how her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, was doing.

"Hey, Annabeth. What's up?"

She lifted her gray eyes from the pages of the novel she was reading to study Jason. "Not much," she replied, "Just reading." She tapped her finger against the book's hardcover.

"What book?" Jason asked, leaning in.

"Oh, the Quran. Learning about other religions fascinates me."

Jason blinked, trying to take that in. He read to forget about the real world, Annabeth read to get smarter, probably so she could take over the real world one day. He didn't doubt her ability to do it, either.

"Wow. That's cool."

Annabeth smiled, reaching for a loose scrap of paper and folding it into a bookmark. She closed the Quran and set it aside. "You need help with something or…?" She let the question hang there.

"No, not really."

"Okay," she picked the book back up and returned to reading.

"Wait," Jason blurted.

"Yes?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you think he did it?"

"What?"

"Nico," Jason clarified. "Do you think he really killed Bianca?"

He certainly hadn't _meant_ to ask the question, but it came out nonetheless. Apparently even Jason was a little bothered by the case, whether or not he cared to admit it.

It wasn't so much that he cared about Nico's whereabouts, or the drama surrounding his school and the family, there was just something that felt… _wrong_. Like the whole situation was a little off kilter. Perhaps that was simply all of the crime thrillers Jason liked to read talking, he wasn't sure…

Hadn't he decided this morning that he didn't give a crap?

Annabeth stared at Jason for a moment, studying him, and then sighed, closing the book once more. "I—I don't know. I'd like to think he didn't. I mean, he seemed like a really sad guy, ya know? Percy always talked about wishing he could help him, although I have no idea how he planned to do it. He doesn't think Nico did it. But, I don't know. Percy's a good judge of character, but he also lacks the ability to look at things from an emotionless standpoint. He's not objective. So much evidence says that Nico did it, and he's not even around to defend himself. But Percy—Percy wants to believe that Nico is innocent. As for me, I don't know. I can't just ignore the facts like he can. I guess I don't have the same faith in people that he does. All I know is that Bianca was Nico's sister, and he really cared about her. Looked up to her. And yet, his fingerprints are on the knife that killed her. That's hard to ignore."

Jason nodded. "I understand."

"Why do you want to know? I thought you were different from all the other over-curious kids in school."

"I am," Jason defended. "Well, I hope I am. I just—I don't know. I wonder about it sometimes. I have an older sister too, and I just wonder how anyone could kill their own sibling. I can't believe that anyone could. But, I didn't really know him at all. And I knew that Percy knew him, so I guess I wanted your opinion on it all."

"My opinion is that everyone at school should stop acting like this is some exciting episode of a crime show. Someone _died._ And then there's all the ridiculous rumors going around. I don't really want to talk about it, okay? Let me read."

Jason, feeling sort of like he'd just been lectured by his mother—if his mother was an actual mother and not a drunk—nodded and left Annabeth to her book.

…

"Could you close up tonight, Jason?" Chiron asked around eight o'clock. "An old college buddy of mine is in New York until the end of the week and he wants to meet up tonight."

Annabeth had already left, and Jason's shift was technically about to end, too, but it wasn't like Jason was eager to get home. His mother was probably already on her way to the bar. "Sure," Jason complied, figuring he could probably just work on some homework and read for the next hour without many customers coming through. "I'd be happy to."

A few minutes later, Chiron left and then Jason was all by himself, which he rather liked. Unlike some of his friends, Jason didn't constantly feel the need to be around others. It was refreshing to not have to force on a smile because people were watching. He could be himself when he was alone, no facades. No one expecting him to be anything spectacular. Jason could just be Jason, and that was enough.

Jason wanted to build a home out of books and sleep between their pages. He wanted to erase the real world and immerse himself completely in fictional universes where happy endings and true love and magic were reality. Where fantasy was real, and the real world was the fantasy. It was easier to focus on the problems of fictional characters than to think about his dead father, his barely present mother, how much he missed his sister.

Thalia. She was the one who taught Jason to love reading. When Jason was younger, Thalia would read to him, and then pass down books to him that she believed he would like. And he liked all of them. He would devour each new story, laughing and hurting along with the characters. But it wasn't until she left that he really understood the magic of books. Only when he felt utterly alone did he realize that books could be a crutch, that they could keep him from tripping and falling into oblivion. When things got bad, his mom turned to alcohol. Jason turned to books.

Jason felt that his method was better.

Only two customers came into the store. One older woman who purchased a cookbook and a middle aged man who got a couple historical fiction novels. Other than that, Jason was free to do whatever he pleased. Which, unsurprisingly, led to Jason reading more of his book.

At exactly nine o'clock, he began to close up. "Goodnight books," he chuckled to himself as he locked the front door. The day had been cold, but the night was even colder. The icy wind tore right through Jason's jacket. He _really_ should have checked the weather before he left for school that morning. Now, he was facing a ten minute walk until he would be out of the winter chill.

Actually, twenty minutes, Jason amended, realizing that there was most likely nothing to eat at the apartment. He'd have to stop at the store and pick up some food. He should have just grabbed something from the small café at Delphi.

_Oh well,_ he thought. Jason turned left at the corner, rather than right, and began to make his way toward the nearest grocery store. Some teenagers would be frightened to roam the streets of New York at night, especially all alone, but Jason had been doing it for years. New York was his home, his playground, it didn't scare him. If he kept his head down, no one bothered him. And if they did, well… Jason had taken martial arts for seven years and played football for eight, only stopping when Thalia left and sports ceased to matter.

It was because of this confidence that Jason felt no hesitance about taking a shortcut to the store through several different back alleys. All he could think about was getting out of the cold faster.

And then he saw the body.

At first, Jason could barely believe his eyes. Surely that curled up thing not fifteen feet in front of him was something else. A sleeping dog, perhaps. A very large dog, without fur.

But then he heard the groan of pain, all too human, and ran towards it. Even in the extreme darkness, Jason could tell that the person had taken a serious beating. The way it was curled into itself, the dark liquid smearing its hands that had to have been blood. Jason crouched down, unsure of whether to touch it or say something or call for help.

The person, definitely a boy, but not an awfully big one, groaned in pain once more. His bloodied hands covering his face.

"Just hold on, I'll call an ambulance," Jason said, rising to his feet and digging in his pocket for his cell phone.

"No, no," the boy muttered. A hand lashed out and fingers wrapped around Jason's wrist, leaving behind a smear of blood."No ambulance, I'm fine." The voice was weak, more of a groan than anything, but still vaguely familiar to Jason.

And then he looked down. A split lip, a bloodied face, an already swelling eye, but even in the darkness of the alley, Jason recognized him. How could he not? His face had been everywhere for over two weeks.

Nico di Angelo.


	2. How To Help People

_A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Yay! I hope you all like it. If any of you are interested, this fic can also be found on AO3 under the same title. My username there is CarleeAdison. Additionally, I can be found on Tumblr as nephilimgirlbooks._

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**CH. 2—How To Help People (That Don't Think They Need Any Help)**

There were seven billion people in the world, over eight million people in New York City, and out of all of those people, the one at Jason's feet was Nico di Angelo. Nico, from his school. Nico, who no one had seen for two weeks. Nico, who no one could seem to shut up about.

Nico, a potential murderer.

Jason stepped back, nearly tripping over his own feet. What had he gotten himself in to? How could this even be possible? Nico in New York. Nico alive. Jason the one to find him.

This could _not _be happening.

Jason could call the cops. He could call the cops now and they could take Nico in for questioning and everything could be settled once and for all.

But then the kid groaned in pain again and curled into himself, clutching his stomach, and Jason froze. Clearly, Nico was in rough shape. He was so preoccupied that he hadn't even looked up and recognized Jason.

Nico's weakened state, however, wasn't the only thing standing in the way of Jason grabbing for his cell phone immediately. How could Jason call the cops when he wasn't even convinced that Nico was guilty?

Would the cops even look in to the case, or would they just lazily decide that it must have been Nico and throw him in prison forever, a neat little bow tied around the whole case?

Sure, Jason wanted the case to be closed, never to be spoken of again, but what if Nico really hadn't done it? Could Jason, in good confidence, turn this bloodied, beaten kid in to the cops?

Perhaps it would have been easier to call the cops… if Nico hadn't looked so frail and helpless. If he wasn't shivering so hard. If he wasn't just a teenager.

Jason knew that Nico needed some healing. He had no idea how bad the injuries were, but the blood surely wasn't a good sign. At least if the cops came, they could take Nico to a hospital.

Heal him only to throw him in a jail cell.

Jason made a snap decision. "Nico, hey, it's Jason. Jason Grace, from school. I'm going to take you back to my place and get you cleaned up, okay?"

"Grace?" Nico squinted up at him in the darkness, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. His words came out slurred. Jason wondered if the boy was going to pass out. He hoped not. Nico couldn't have been that heavy, but carrying a sixteen year old boy eight blocks back to his apartment would look a little suspicious.

"Can you walk?" Jason gripped Nico's arms and hoisted him up, causing Nico to groan once more.

"I'm fine. Get out of here, Jason." Nico attempted to walk away, but his legs wouldn't let him. He would have fallen face first into the pavement if not for Jason.

"Come on, I'll help you."

"I don't need your help," the younger boy growled.

Jason exhaled loudly through his nose."Oh really? You'd rather wait around in some alley for whoever did this to you to come back?"

"Let go of me," Nico shoved Jason weakly.

"Jesus, just let me help you," the blond insisted with growing frustration, leading Nico toward the mouth of the alley. Nico, apparently too weak to protest any longer, followed without another word.

"Take my jacket and keep your head down," Jason ordered, whipping his jacket off and handing it to Nico. Nico stared blankly at him for a moment, one of his eyes swelling and already promising to bruise. Jason watched him intently until Nico pushed his arms through the jacket sleeves and put the hood up. In another situation, Nico in the jacket may have been comical. He was so much thinner than Jason that he was practically swimming in the fabric. But then Jason thought about how Nico could have gotten so thin, and the situation lost all of its humor. "Come on," he said, taking Nico by the wrist again and guiding him around the corner.

Jason tried to avoid roads he thought would be the busiest. Considering he was practically dragging Manhattan's Most Wanted through the Financial District, Jason didn't exactly want to draw attention. But he also didn't take as many detours as he could have. The winter air, which had been plenty cold when Jason _had _his jacket, now cut through the thin fabric of his shirt without resistance. A long-sleeved cotton shirt had nothing on a February night in the city. Jason didn't allow himself too much self pity though, thinking about Nico out in the cold for who knows how long with only the worn out old aviator jacket that Jason had seen him wear to school before. The one he currently sported underneath Jason's jacket. He hoped that Nico at least felt warm.

Then Jason wondered why it should matter to him. For all he knew, he was helping a cold blooded murderer.

But, while he may have been a little moody, Jason just couldn't believe that this boy was full of enough venom to kill his own sister. This sixteen year old, barely able to walk on his own, still groaning in pain and on the edge of consciousness, _this _boy was the famed Nico di Angelo, New York's Newest Teenage Psychopath?

Maybe Jason was too much like Percy, not enough like Annabeth. Maybe he wanted to believe the best about people, no matter what the evidence said.

One thing nagged at him. A question that hit him every time his eyes landed on Nico. What had he done to get himself _this_ beat to shit?

Nico would be lucky if he didn't have any cracked ribs or a broken nose. From what Jason could tell, the dark haired boy had been punched in the face more than once, and if the way he was curled up on the pavement earlier meant anything, he'd probably been kicked multiple times as well. Although, it didn't seem to Jason that Nico's opponent had pulled a knife, which Jason was grateful for. He didn't know how to tend to stab wounds.

Actually, he barely knew how to tend to a scraped knee.

What the hell was he getting himself into?

By the time Jason's building loomed in front of them, Nico looked about ready to collapse.

"Come on," Jason encouraged. "A little further. Stay with me."

"Where the fuck are we going?" Nico muttered, completely spent.

"I told you, I'm taking you to my place to get you cleaned up. My mom won't be home, don't worry."

"I told you I don't need any help," the other boy protested, attempting to tear away from Jason.

"Don't talk, walk."

Maybe he just should have let him go. _Nico doesn't want help? Fine. Get lost!_

Except, he couldn't. Couldn't do that. Jason knew that if he let Nico walk out now, it would be like feeding him to the wolves. No beaten down boy was being fed to the wolves on Jason's watch.

Nico huffed and allowed Jason to half-guide-half-drag him toward the apartment building. One thing in Jason's life hadn't changed since his father's death. His family—or what was left of it—still lived in the pricey high-rise in what Jason's father had liked to refer to as "the soul of the city."

Ironic, considering most of the Wall Street Slimeballs that lived in the area had no soul to speak of.

Jason found it a little ridiculous that a woman with no job and a teenage boy lived in an apartment that had been too big for four people to begin with, but his mother had screamed at Thalia when she suggested selling it and slapped her across the face. And so they stayed, paying the bills with the millions Mr. Grace had left behind to his family.

Luckily, no people were hanging around the lobby when Jason and Nico walked in. Even the doorman lounged behind the desk, reading a newspaper. He didn't look up.

_Good thing, too_, Jason thought. If he did, he'd probably realize that the kid whose face was on the front page stood not ten feet away from him.

Jason quickly shoved Nico into the elevator and pushed down on the button for the twentieth floor.

As the elevator doors shut, Nico leaned on the wall for support, visibly exhausted. In the fluorescent elevator lights, he looked even worse than Jason had first thought. And once the bruises really started to show tomorrow, he'd doubtless look a lot worse. Slowly, Nico slid to the floor.

"What happened to you?" Jason asked, dropping to a crouch and examining the other boy's face. He'd never been this close to Nico before tonight. If it weren't so bloody and swollen, Jason decided he would have an interesting face to look at. Angular. Deep set eyes with incredibly long lashes. Black hair sweeping across his forehead. Perhaps a little unwelcoming, but fascinating nonetheless. Nico had those dark kind of eyes that could feel either warm or frigid, something that Jason had never been able to say about his own blue eyes. No one ever called blue eyes warm. Startling maybe, or deep, but not welcoming, not comforting. Blue was a cold color.

"What the fuck does it look like?" Nico mumbled, rubbing his jaw.

Apparently, Nico wasn't a fan of questions… or making conversation in general.

The elevator dinged as it reached Jason's floor. He offered a hand to help Nico to his feet, but the injured boy glared at him so maliciously that Jason stepped back and let Nico do it himself, even though it was clear that he could have used the help.

Scratch that thing about brown eyes showing any warmth. Nico was more like a small vicious animal. Like those stray dogs in the videos who try and bite anyone who gets close to them. Jason noticed that those were always the animals who'd been hurt the most. The ones who needed the most help. Maybe that was why he'd decided not to call the cops. At least not yet.

Honestly, Jason wasn't sure _what_ to do.

"Uh, follow me," he said, his voice raising at the end almost like he'd asked Nico a question.

"Do I have a choice?" Nico mumbled.

"Well, I guess you could go lay in an alley and freeze to death. Or maybe you'd get really lucky and someone else could find you before you freeze."

The dark haired boy scowled, and then cringed. Someone had definitely done a number on him. Jason motioned for Nico to follow him out of the elevator and down the hall. About fifteen steps away from Jason's front door, Nico crumpled to his knees. Jason halted and turned to check on him. Then, without giving it a second thought, the blond bent down and wrapped an arm around Nico. He pulled the other boy up, using his arm for support as Nico slumped against his side. "Come on, let's not pass out just yet," Jason said softly, nearly carrying Nico the rest of the way. He propped Nico against the wall to free his arms and then dug around for his keys. Once the door was unlocked, Jason led Nico inside. The second they were both inside he shut the door and re-locked it.

"Okay," he said, suddenly feeling completely overwhelmed.

_Now what? _

A washcloth for the blood, maybe. And ice, definitely ice for all the swelling. And… blankets? He was probably still half frozen. Jason cranked up the heat on the thermostat. That was a start at least, right? Then he dragged a barely conscious Nico to his bedroom and laid him down on the bed.

"I'll be right back," Jason promised, leaving the potential murderer in his room. In the kitchen Jason filled a plastic bag with ice cubes and ran a wash cloth under the sink for a few seconds. Not exactly hospital quality, but Jason had done all that he could.

By the time he made it back to the bedroom, Nico was fast asleep.

_Well, this is awkward. _

Jason crossed over to the sleeping boy, sitting at the edge of the bed and dabbing at Nico's face with the washcloth, trying to clear away the dried blood on his face and hands. Once his skin was clean, Jason decided to try to ice his eye. He lowered the bag to the swelling skin around Nico's eye. As the ice made contact with Nico's skin, the younger boy let out a little gasping sound, but didn't wake. He was probably completely exhausted.

With nothing else to do, Jason decided the best thing was to just let Nico rest for the time being. Wasn't a good sleep supposed to cure all the world's problems or something?

Hell, with all that had happened in the last hour, Jason would probably have to sleep for a month straight. And that was nothing compared to what he could only assume Nico had gone through over two weeks. Jason's problems were nothing compared to _that. _

He couldn't even imagine what Nico had been up to the last seventeen days. The physical, emotional, and psychological suffering would surely have been too much for Jason.

Once Nico woke up, though, they _really _needed to have a chat about the events leading up to Nico's time in the streets—if that's where he'd actually been this whole time. As Jason turned off the bedroom light and shut the door, a voice in his head screamed _"Potential murderer in your room! Sister killer in your bed!"_

Jason ignored it.

Back in the kitchen, the clock on the microwave showed it was close to ten-thirty. Walking home at a Nico pace had taken longer than expected. And he'd never even made it to the grocery store. Jason groaned.

_No dinner tonight. _

Well, dinnertime had long past, anyway. He fished around in the pantry and found some cereal, which he ate dry—straight from the box—while sprawled out on the couch. He wasn't usually like this. Jason ate at the table, he had good posture, he was a confident speaker. Tonight was not a good night for Jason.

He had some homework to finish, but how could anyone possibly think about Theseus and the Minotaur when a potential killer was asleep in his bed?

_If I really thought he killed her, I wouldn't have brought him here, _Jason reminded himself.

Reading his book was out of the question. Jason couldn't focus on reading with everything going on. Hell, it was a miracle he was focused enough to still be breathing.

He couldn't even go to sleep. His bed was being used.

Of course, sleeping on the couch was an option, but Jason didn't want his mother to be suspicious when she got home. She may have been drunk most of the time, but she wasn't completely oblivious.

Although, for once, Jason wished she was. How else could he get away with letting a wanted murder suspect snooze in his bed? Seeing no other option, Jason went back into his bedroom and pulled out a spare comforter from the closet. He'd sleep on the floor. Yes, that would work. Then, when Nico woke up, Jason would know. He was a pretty light sleeper—and no one could sleep soundly on the floor anyway. Jason changed into a pair of sleeping pants and a soft t-shirt before lowering himself to the floor and trying to get comfortable. A lamp on the nightstand was still on, but Jason decided to just leave it. If Nico woke up, at least he'd be able to see. Jason's floor wasn't the softest place in the world, and his mind was far from tired, but eventually, he was able to slip into oblivion.

…

Nico woke up sweltering hot. His eyes shot open—well one of them did, the other one only opened about halfway thanks to the swelling—and were greeted by semi-darkness. A small lamp provided a dim glow that outlined the room. Large windows on the wall opposite of him revealed black sky, dotted with the lights of several buildings in the distance. Morning had not yet arrived, but Nico could sense its approach.

His hair was matted to his forehead with sweat, and it only took Nico a second to realize why. He was under blankets, wearing two jackets, and the room was sweltering. Nico could barely remember what being so warm felt like.

He shed both of the jackets quickly. As they fell to the floor, Nico remembered where the second one had come from and suddenly realized where he was.

There, asleep on the floor, was Jason Grace. Jason Grace who had basically carried him to his apartment and put him to bed.

_Fuck._

Nico cringed, and the effort made his face scream. Those bastards in the alley had really hit him good. Nico was lucky to not have a broken nose.

He laughed out loud.

Nico. Lucky. Lucky. Nico.

The words didn't belong in the same sentence. Ever. Under no circumstances was Nico lucky.

Lucky to be alive? Yeah right.

He'd rather have died a long time ago.

Lucky that it wasn't the cops who found him? Debatable.

At least Nico _knew_ what to expect from _them._

Jason was… puzzling.

Why had Jason Grace helped him? Why had he not called the cops? Nico knew what people thought he did, yet Jason hadn't once asked Nico the million dollar question.

Did he_ really _do it?

He studied Jason carefully in the dim light. In all honesty, Nico hadn't thought about Jason Grace much before. He was just another one of those kids at school who appeared to have a lot of friends, was liked by all his teachers, and never caused trouble. Basically, the exact opposite of Nico.

Jason was tall, strong, handsome. His eyes were a vivid blue eyes and he had this friendly smile that kind of made Nico want to punch him. Who did Mr. Golden Boy think he was? Scooping Nico up like he was some kind of superhero rescuing an injured kitten. Nico was not a kitten. He didn't need people trying to be helpful.

When people tried to help him, they ended up getting hurt. Or worse.

Nico rubbed his forehead, trying to massage the problem away, and noticed something. The blood was gone. Jason had cleaned the blood off of Nico's hands and face.

Was he fucking serious?

And now he was just sleeping on the floor, not appearing to care that he'd given up his bed. For all Jason knew, Nico was a heartless killer, and yet he didn't seem to find any problem with falling asleep in the same room as him. He slept peacefully, his chest rising and falling at a steady, slow pace. Jason looked younger, less serious, when he slept. More like a teenager. Somehow, that made Nico feel even more uncomfortable.

What the hell was he going to do now?

Jason stirred and then those bright blue eyes were looking right at him.

…

Jason woke abruptly from a nightmare to find Nico di Angelo sitting on his bed and staring down at him. "Hey," Jason said immediately, and then just as quickly felt like kicking himself.

Nico's eyes widened, and he scooted back like Jason had frightened him. Like _Nico _had reason to be frightened. Like _Jason _was the threat in the room.

And it was then that Jason knew with absolute certainty that no matter what had happened the night Bianca died, Nico didn't do it. The scared teenage boy cowering on his bed wasn't capable of murder.

"Why am I here?" Nico mumbled, tearing his eyes away from Jason. How long had the dark haired boy been watching him sleep? The thought almost made Jason blush.

"Well, you look like someone beat the crap out of you. And I found you lying in an alley. What should I have done?"

"Called the cops. I'm a wanted criminal, am I not?" Nico raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"You didn't kill anyone."

"Oh really? And how do you know that? You know nothing about me."

"Well, you didn't kill me, for one," Jason observed, "You had a clear chance to do it and you let it pass by."

"I still could, I'd maybe even get away with it."

"Nico, I know you didn't murder Bianca. Now lay down and get some rest. It's like five in the morning."

"What is your problem?" Nico practically shouted, rising suddenly to his feet. "You aren't supposed to behave this way!"

Jason sighed and stood as well. Nico, who was almost a head shorter than him, stepped back slightly and nearly fell back onto the bed. "Nico, did you kill Bianca?"

Nico paused, chewed his lip before realizing it was swollen and split from earlier, and sat on the edge of the bed. What felt like eons later, he answered.

"No. I didn't," he whispered, seeming so close but also a million miles away.

"Okay, now that that's settled—"

"How can you possibly believe me?" Nico demanded, glaring up at Jason through the tangled dark strands of hair brushing his eyelids. "Every murderer says they're innocent."

"But I thought we just established that you're not a murderer."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you just believe whatever the fuck people tell you?" Nico was exceptionally gifted at channeling every single emotion he had into anger. And swearing.

"I just know when people are telling the truth, Nico. I have an older sister, too, you know."

"So?"

"So I know what it's like, and I know that when you have someone like that in your life, you would never do anything to hurt them."

Nico started laughing, a bitter, loud sound that nearly had Nico doubling over. "Oh, you know what it's like? You know what it's fucking like? That's rich. Rich coming from a stupid perfect rich boy with his perfect nuclear family. You have no idea what it's like! Shut up!" The laughter had evolved into shouting, and for the first time in probably forever, Jason found himself hoping his mother hadn't returned home yet.

"Hey, I am _not_ perfect. Nothing about my life is perfect."

"What, sometimes you get a B on a test?"

"My dad's dead and my mom's an alcoholic who disowned my sister when she moved away and I haven't seen her but twice since then," Jason blurted out. Nico hardly deserved to know the intimate details of his life, but Jason hated being accused of living the life of some all-American ideal teenage boy just because his family had money. It was bullshit.

"I _wish_ my dad was dead," Nico muttered after a minute. Jason plopped down beside him on the bed, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He had plenty of experience with abusive parents. The look in Nico's eyes was painfully familiar.

"Is he the one who did this to you?" Jason nodded at Nico's face. It looked even worse now. By dinnertime the pale boy would probably be painted black and blue.

Nico's lips twitched with a bitter half smile, but no emotion reached his eyes, "No."

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?"

"Why is it any of your business?" Nico sneered.

"It's not," the blond admitted, "but you could tell me anyway."

"Some thug thought it would be a good idea to rob me. He was a little frustrated to find out I had no money."

"So he beat you up?"

"His friend helped, pretty unpleasant," Nico offered without emotion.

"Shit."

"I've had worse," he shrugged, "Well, nice chat but I really should be going."

Jason wasn't sure which part of the other boy's sentence concerned him more.

"You have anywhere to go?" He inquired.

"Well, the bums in Central Park are a great bunch once you get to know them."

"Nico," Jason chided, "I'm serious."

"Yeah, I get that. You seem to be serious about a lot of things. Well I _seriously_ don't need you to play hero and try and nurse me to health or whatever the hell you think you're doing so—" Nico stood and started for the door.

"Will you stop being so damn stubborn?" Jason growled, following after him.

"I'm not a little broken toy you can stick back together with glue and a some willpower. Leave me alone."

"I never said you were, I'm just trying to help."

"You think I'm a freak just like everyone else," Nico accused. "This freak doesn't need your charity, thank you very much."

Jason let out a frustrated growl. _This _waswhy Jason preferred reading over people, at least books made sense.

"Yeah, you _are_ a freak. I'm trying to be nice to you and you're yelling at me as if I was trying to steal your kidney while you slept."

"Here's an idea, stop trying to be nice to me."

Well, since he insisted…

"If you say so," Jason sighed, yanking the smaller boy off of his feet and basically dragging him down the hall, much as he had earlier. His mom's keys weren't on the hook, so she wasn't home yet. _Typical._

"What the hell?"

"I'm done being nice. We're going to the kitchen and I'm going to get you some fucking ice. Then take it, put it on your face, and say thank you. Got it?"

"Let go of me!" Nico protested. "What's your problem?"

"No, what's _your _problem, Nico? Here I am trying to help you, not because I have to, but because I want to. Would you really rather be out in the street, where it's _freezing _I might add, just hanging around and waiting for one of the millions of people in New York who know your face to call the cops on you? Believe me, not everyone is as open minded as I am!"

"You shouldn't want to help me. Trust me," the smaller boy broke away from Jason, but didn't make a break for the door. He just stared out the windows, his eyes seeming to see further than the glow of the other Financial District high-rises. Somewhere worlds away. "I can handle things just fine on my own."

"Look, I understand that what happened to your sister was horrible, and probably traumatizing. I don't know what happened, but I can see how it's affecting you. You're hurting, you're scared, but you don't have to be alone."

"Stop," he said, shutting his eyes tightly. "Stop acting like my friend. Stop acting like you know me."

"Stop acting like you can take care of yourself. You're sixteen and you have nowhere to go. I'm seventeen, I have a job, I have a roof over my head, and _I_ can barely take care of myself. Everyone needs someone to be there for them, Nico."

"You're not that someone. Thanks for not calling the cops, and being crazy enough to believe that I'm innocent, but now just leave me alone. You don't have to be involved in this."

How stubborn could Nico possibly be? Why couldn't he grasp that Jason understood that he didn't _have _to help him, but that he w_anted _to? Why couldn't Nico just accept the fact that one person in the world had decided to reach out to him? Jason had given Nico his jacket freely, he'd taken Nico into his home, let him sleep in his bed, and Nico hadn't asked for any of it, Jason had just done it because it was the right thing. Because he couldn't look at that fragile sixteen year old body and see someone capable of murder, only a great, deep sadness.

"You're impossible!" Jason let out a frustrated yell and stormed over to the fridge. He yanked another plastic baggie loose and filled it with ice. When Jason turned around, Nico had moved. He stood only a few feet away from Jason, his eyes on the bag.

"Are you going to take the ice or tell some bullshit lie about how you don't need it?"

"Hand me the damn bag," Nico sighed. Jason shoved it at him and stomped over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down on it with great force. He felt like punching through the glass tabletop.

Jason had always sensed that Nico was different, a little dark, a sad guy.

He'd never guessed that Nico di Angelo could also be so damn infuriating.

"Thanks," Nico mumbled, and once again Jason was surprised to find that the other boy had snuck up on him. Jason jumped slightly. Then, embarrassed, he tried to play it off like he had planned to suddenly shoot up off of his seat.

Nico smirked, if only a little. "Sorry, I don't make a lot of noise." He seemed to find mild amusement in Jason's sudden startle.

The older boy ignored the comment. "You hungry? I mean, I really need to get groceries, but I can probably find something for you."

"Are you going to harass me until I say yes?" Nico questioned.

"Mmhm," Jason nodded, already on his way to the fridge. He spent a minute there and then checked the cabinets and pantry.

"We have cereal with no milk, semi-stale bread, Pringles, pretzel rods, frozen Eggo waffles, and this one apple looks like it's not brown yet."

A few minutes later, Nico was seated on a barstool at the counter eating a waffle and the apple while Jason tried not to stare. He could practically see the newspaper headlines if anyone found out about this.

**Teenage Murder Suspect Eats Eggo Waffles in Poorly Stocked Kitchen**

"What are you smiling at?" Nico glowered at him.

"Nothing, nothing," Jason tried to look impassive.

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes and went back to eating. Behind him, through the huge windows, black sky was lightening to indigo.

"The sun will be up soon," Jason commented.

"So?" Nico said, turning to check through the windows.

"I'm just thinking we should probably get you back into my room before my mom gets home. She, uh, she'd probably be a little suspicious."

"Hey, I didn't agree to play patient. I took your ice and your food. Once I finish eating, I'm out of here."

"Don't be stupid," Jason protested.

"You're the stupid one. I don't think the cops would be very understanding if they found out you were harboring a criminal."

"You're not a criminal."

"How about you explain that to the cops? And the whole east coast, for that matter."

"You're not very good at accepting help, are you?"

"You're not very good at taking no for an answer, are you?" Nico retorted.

"At least stay here while I'm at school. Your body needs to rest and heal. And then maybe when I get home I can wash your clothes and give you some food. Then we can go from there."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

Jason nodded.

"Well, I don't have a clue why you care."

"It's the human thing to do," Jason answered. It wasn't a lie, well, not completely. Jason would like to think that any truly open minded and accepting human being would do the same thing. Of course, he didn't mention that he was also brutally curious about the boy that was Nico di Angelo and how he got to be this way. What made him tick?

It was a mystery Jason was dying to solve.

"Well, it's not the New York thing to do. Maybe you're actually a psychopath trying to lure me into your room so you can like, torture me or something."

Jason grinned, "You caught me, I was actually hoping to peel off your skin and wear your face to school."

"That'll make you popular," Nico mused.

"You done?" Jason asked, changing the subject and nodding at the mostly empty plate in front of Nico. According to the clock above the stove, it was nearly six in the morning. In just an hour, Jason would have to wake up and get ready for school. The idea was ridiculous after all that had happened in the last twelve hours.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Great. I'm going to go to back to sleep now. Come on."

Nico followed Jason back down the hall without much protest, but did speak up when Jason laid back down on the floor.

"Sleep in your own damn bed. Seriously."

Jason shook his head. "No. You take it. Before I found you, you were lying on the cold damp street."

"Well now, because of your annoying persistence, I am in your warm dry home. That's enough favors from you." Nico went and sat in the corner, and Jason knew that it was hopeless. It was a big enough deal that Nico had even agreed to stay here for the day, Jason wasn't going to push him.

"Whatever." Jason fell onto his bed and buried himself in the blankets. "You should try to sleep some more, too. You weren't out for that long."

Nico gave Jason a pointed look to say _stop acting like my parent_ but made his way to the makeshift bed nonetheless.

Sleep reclaimed Jason almost instantly.


	3. Playing The Patient

_A/N: Okay, so this chapter was a real bitch to edit. Back when I first wrote it, I still wasn't totally sure where this story was going, so returning to it I realized how many things needed to be adjusted to match the plot. That being said, I'm pretty satisfied with how this one turned out, and I hope you are too!_

* * *

**CH. 3—Playing The Patient (When You're Actually Fine, FYI.)**

Nico couldn't fall back asleep, and it had nothing to do with the hardness of the floor. Each of his thoughts was amplified by a thousand microphones and they wouldn't go away.

Here was some guy Nico barely knew, literally someone he'd almost never thought of before a few hours ago, just volunteering to do all of these favors for him because it was the "human" thing to do.

_The fucking _human_ thing to do. _

Since when did any person in the whole world actually act like a decent human being? People who were kind for no reason at all? Yeah, right. The best person Nico had ever known was Bianca and, well…

Things hadn't ended well for her.

Nico shook his head, scattering thoughts of the sister he no longer had back to the darkest corners of his mind. If he just didn't think about it, if he didn't think about _her_, then he would be okay. Or, okay _enough. _He could live in a bullshit illusion of being all right if he just didn't allow himself to think about Bianca.

Desperate for a distraction, Nico stood and began to pace around the room—Jason's room. Nico didn't know an awful lot about Jason, which he was quickly realizing. He'd always just assumed Jason Grace was another clone at school—boring, mindless, typically rich. Now… Nico didn't know exactly _what _Jason was. First of all, he had a room _way _to clean to belong to a teenage boy. No clothes on the floor, a navy comforter on a queen bed devoid of any visible stains, charcoal walls clean of pictures or posters or useless trinkets. Did a seventeen or eighteen year old boy actually sleep in this room? Nico may not have believe it, if not for the state of Jason's desk, the one disorderly thing in the entire room. Loose sheets of paper, a textbook, and a few old trophies had found their way onto the desk, scattered and stacked haphazardly in a way that probably made sense to Jason and no one else. In the middle of the desk, a sleek silver laptop sat, open but turned off. And around the desk, climbing halfway up the wall and down both sides of the desk was one giant bookshelf. Now _that _surprised Nico more than anything. A rainbow of colors and titles and authors all stacked together in the craziest, most nonsensical arrangement Nico had ever seen. Just another thing that probably Jason and Jason alone understood. Nico drew a book from the top of one of the shelves, leafing through the pages in the muted light. He closed the book, examining its cover. Stephen King.

_Nice, _Nico nodded, impressed with Jason's taste. There was a time when he himself had read frequently. Nico had especially loved horror and thriller novels back in the day. Then his life became a horror story of its own, and Nico stopped reading them. He stopped reading any kinds of books. Nico had bigger concerns than reading, like _not _getting his ass kicked by his father.

Jason mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep, momentarily startling Nico. He turned and spared a glance at the dreaming boy. The blond boy slept soundly on his side, an arm stretched across the pillow and reaching all the way to the edge of the bed. Christ, had Jason Grace always been so stupidly attractive, or did Nico just have a concussion? He found it difficult to tear his eyes away. How was this guy smart, nice, and as handsome as he was? That couldn't possibly be right. Nico, after all, was not exceptional in anything.

Pretty boys like Jason didn't bother with kindness. Nico knew that from experience. He'd known enough throughout his life and he was damn tired of them. But Jason was so ridiculously different from every preconceived notion Nico had formed in his mind. He helped almost complete strangers—potentially dangerous ones—and he read books and went grocery shopping and was thoughtful and nice even when the other person didn't deserve it.

Nico wasn't sure whether to be sick or amazed, or perhaps sickly amazed.

What the hell was he supposed to do in this situation? He couldn't just stay at Jason's and play stowaway. It was far too much to ask and would only bring trouble to a nice guy who didn't deserve it. To stay would be to hold a gun up to Jason's head and then pull the trigger. He'd told the blue eyed boy too much already. He wasn't going to endanger Jason further. It would be best to just sneak out once Jason left for school and pretend the last eight hours never happened. Less messy that way.

Where he would go, however, that was another issue altogether. It would be daylight soon, hardly the time for Nico to be showing his face around the streets of New York. Nico wasn't exactly sure where Jason lived, but he guessed he'd have to do a whole lot of walking to return to the alley he'd been ducking out in for the past four or so days (not the one where he got his ass kicked, another one). Soon Tyson, the homeless kid who'd shared his blankets with Nico for the better part of the week and had been his only companion since the incident, would be worrying about him. Of course, the alley had been far from ideal. Living outside in New York in the winter wasn't exactly the best of circumstances.

Nico had _no _idea what to do.

There was one thing that Nico was sure of though. He would _not _be falling back asleep any time in the next few hours. Not a chance.

…

What felt like mere minutes, but was actually more like an hour and a half after Jason had been carried back into the realm of dreams, his alarm clock wrenched him back to reality. Jason groaned as the bells on his phone chimed, refusing to shut up until he finally found the energy to lift his arm and blindly disable it.

Slowly, he forced his eyes open to greet the day. Dreary morning light filtered through the crack between Jason's curtains, alerting him of another cold and miserable day.

"I think it's snowing," a quiet voice said, causing Jason to jolt up. The blond had nearly forgotten about the other presence in the room. Nico di Angelo sat on the floor beside Jason's bed, the blanket that Jason had slept with the first portion of the night partially covering his legs, and on his lap, a book. One of Jason's.

"_Lord of the Flies?_" Jason prompted, nodding at the novel. Nico glanced down at it, then back up at Jason.

"Oh, yeah. I, uh, read it a few years ago."

"You read much?"

"Not anymore," Nico answered vaguely, placing the book on the floor. Morning light did no favors for the younger boy's face. Dark purple bruising had fully formed under one of Nico's eyes and his split lower lip was also bruised and swollen. His arms were painted the same shade of bluish purple, greatly contrasting Nico's pallid skin. Jason had no doubt that if he lifted up Nico's shirt, there would be plenty there as well. Jason's stomach twisted painfully. He may not have known Nico well, but seeing him in such rough shape was extremely difficult.

Jason averted his eyes. "Hey, so I need to get ready for school and stuff, but before I go I'll bring you some food and ice. Mom's probably asleep but don't leave the room, just in case. Feel free to use the computer, the bed, my books, whatever."

"Jason—" Nico began to protest.

"Nico di Angelo, I swear, if you try and argue me on this one more time I'm going to shove you through the windows."

The younger boy smirked, "Maybe you'll make the front page."

Jason had to appreciate Nico's morbid sense of humor, especially in light of everything he'd gone through."We should just take a picture together, save the photographers a little time."

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Just, tell me that you'll at least stay until tomorrow. You're still pretty banged up."

"At least? Damn, Grace, how long do you plan on keeping me here?"

Jason paused. The question shouldn't have surprised him, but Jason couldn't seem to find an answer to it. How long _was _he planning on hiding Nico? Until he was healthy? Until the murder case was solved an Nico was in the clear? Jason honestly hadn't thought about it. How long could he even pull this off? "Well, we'll see I guess… if you stop being so damn self-sacrificing and agree to stay and let someone help you for once—"

"Just get ready for school."

Jason flashed a small grin and disappeared into the bathroom.

…

If he said he had no qualms about leaving Nico in his room when he left for school, Jason would be a complete and total liar. Part of him was pretty sure that the mysterious boy would be gone by the time Jason returned from school, and the other part of him was completely certain. Sure, Nico had _said _that he'd at least spend the day healing in Jason's room, but Jason didn't know the younger boy well enough yet to tell whether he meant it or not. Apparently, accepting help from others wasn't in Nico's nature. He couldn't believe for a minute that Jason chose to help him for the sole purpose of helping. And sure, maybe there _was_ more to it. Maybe Jason wanted to keep Nico around because he found him fascinating. Like fire and darkness burning together, a vivid energy that was both blindingly bright and hopelessly dark. Jason couldn't find words to properly explain Nico di Angelo, he doubted anyone could. But there was something about him that was just quite… endearing.

No. That wasn't an appropriate word. "Endearing" implied attraction and Jason wasn't going to be _that _dumb. He wasn't going to think of Nico as a boy he could be attracted to. That would make things impossibly complicated. So what if Nico was feisty and interesting and darkly humorous and attractive in an unconventional but fascinating way that demanded attention. Jason would give none of that any notice at all. None.

Besides, Jason had never heard anything about Nico being gay, so why bother considering whether he should described as striking or handsome? Why bother thinking about Nico in Jason's room, touching his books, which Jason saw as an extension of his soul? Why bother?

"Guess who?" A female voice sang just as two arms wrapped around Jason's back and a pair of tan, delicate hands blotted out his sight.

"Hmm? Octavian?" Jason teased.

Piper shoved him. "Is that your way of saying I have man hands?"

"It's his way of saying you smell like a douche bag," Leo corrected, jabbing Piper with his index finger.

Jason and Leo had just arrived at school, having trudged through the cold again, whereas Piper arrived by car. Her father, a popular film actor, had banned her from walking to school with her friends after the paparazzi began to harass her.

"Why am I friends with you two?" Piper laughed. Maybe, on another day, Jason would have found something to reply that would cause her to laugh again, but today his thoughts were distant. He couldn't get Nico out of his head.

"So, where's your new friend?" Leo asked Jason as the trio moved into the hallway. Jason froze, his feet locking in place.

"What new friend?" He asked, trying to sound casual. Did Leo know something?

"Your stupid book. Yesterday you were practically making out with the thing and today you aren't even holding it. Don't tell me you finished it already."

Jason laughed to mask his surprise. Had he really been so distracted by the Nico conundrum that he'd forgotten his book at home? Where was his head today?

_Focus Jason, focus. Stop stressing over Nico._

_Over Nico di Angelo who everyone thinks is a murderer._

_Nico di Angelo who is actually innocent._

_Nico di Angelo who's father apparently beat the crap out of him._

_Nico di Angelo who knew what losing everything really felt like._

"So, are you in?" Leo inquired, snapping his fingers in front of Jason's face. "You weren't even listening, were you?"

"No, no, I was," Jason lied. "You were um, talking about welding and machines. Yeah."

"I was talking about Beckendorf's party. We're going Saturday, right?"

"Saturday as in this Saturday? Three nights from now?"

"Yeah, dude, where have you been? Of course this Saturday. Beckendorf is turning eighteen and I have to support my main man."

"You mean you have to flirt with Calypso," Piper amended.

"She wants me," Leo shrugged, "Can you blame the lady? I'm irresistible."

Piper rolled her eyes. "I've got to head to first period, you two dorks try not to burn down the school." She waved and bounced off in the other direction.

"I was thinking we could even get a cab. Real classy," Leo decided, holding out his arms in a frame shape as if he could already picture himself stepping out of a taxi and sweeping Calypso off her feet.

"I don't think I'm going," Jason said, hoping that if he didn't act like it wasn't a big deal, Leo wouldn't either. But, of course, Leo had always been one for dramatics.

"What the hell do you mean? Jason do _not _tell me you're working Saturday night _again. _Delphi gets like, negative five customers a day."

"I don't have work that night."

"Oh no, you're ditching me for a book, aren't you?" Leo brought the back of his hand to his forehead like a true drama queen.

"I'm not ditching you for a book, either." Jason thought of Nico. "And I didn't for sure say that I'm _not _going. So calm yourself."

A sly smile crept onto Leo's lips. "You have a date, don't you?"

Jason reddened. Probably not the best idea, since it only seemed to affirm Leo's suspicion, however untrue.

"Shit, you totally do! You have a date!" Leo was practically yelling. A freshman girl passing by gave them a sideways glance.

"Leo, I do not have a date. Mind your own business and stop shouting before you make a scene."

"What's his name? What's his name? Do I know him? Who asked out who?"

Jason let out an exasperated breath, "Did you not hear me, Valdez? I don't have a date with anyone. Sorry to disappoint you." Unless, of course, taking care of injured sixteen year old murder suspects qualified as a date nowadays.

Leo pouted for a moment. "I should have known. You're way too much of a stick in the mud to _actually_ date people."

"Wow, thanks." Jason came to a stop in front of his first period stats class. "We'll talk at lunch."

"If you're lucky!" Leo teased.

…

Jason never should have taken study hall.

Sure, it was a great opportunity to read, but Jason had found himself devastatingly bookless. He _did_ use some of the period to finish the homework that had gone undone the previous night, but it was hard to focus when the one name he struggled not to think about was the same name on everyone's lips.

"Well, you know, Nico was in my gym class last semester," Nancy Bobofit gossiped, "He always gave me a bad feeling. Like, my mind kept telling me there was something not right about that boy, and then he goes and brutally murders his sister with an axe and—"

"The murder weapon was a knife," Jason spat out before he could stop himself. "Stop spreading stories."

Nancy and her circle of mindless idiots turned to stare at him in mild shock. Jason was hardly the type to confront others. In fact, to most of this class, Jason was some mute kid who read a lot.

Nancy Bobofit narrowed her eyes at Jason. "Regardless. He's a psycho anyway. Probably chopped her up into little pieces and spread her out across the city. I read about a Satanist serial killer who did that once."

So now Nico was a Satanist serial killer . . . Oh, how rumors spread. Jason wondered how the school would react if they found out the big scary murderer they all loved to gossip about was actually just an innocent kid with shitty luck who was currently hiding out in Jason's room (or at least, that's where he _hoped _Nico was).

"First of all, the body was cremated. Second of all, you don't even know if he did it." Jason _really _ought to stop talking.

Nancy laughed, "Who else could have? The doorman? The tooth fairy? You don't really think Nico di Angelo is innocent, do you?"

Jason didn't think. He knew. Whoever murdered Bianca, his name was not Nico di Angelo. Of that much, he was certain. But how could he explain that to the dumbass gossips at school? How could he explain that to all of New York? The country?

He couldn't.

So, hating himself as he did, Jason lied. "Oh, he probably did do it, but that doesn't make him an evil devil worshipper."

"Because you would know," Nancy rolled her eyes. "You really ought to just mind your own business, Jason."

Jason snorted. "Ladies first," he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing," he said, turning his back on Nancy and the conversation.

…

"So, word on the street is you and Nancy got into a fight during study hall," Piper whispered to Jason while their English teacher, Mr. Blowfis, wrote the reading assignment on the board.

Jason's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "How is that word on the street, Pipes? Study Hall was last period."

"Yeah, well the girls at this school just love to talk. I'm guessing you _didn't _call her a dumb fucking bitch, huh?"

"People are saying that?"

Piper nodded.

Jason just shook his head.

…

Fourth period was mythology, and also Jason's only class with a certain Percy Jackson. Jason and Percy weren't exactly friends, but Jason liked to think they could be, if either of them actually tried. Percy was one of the only people in school who seemed to actually know Nico, and that made Jason curious.

"Hey, Percy, how's it going?" He asked, taking the seat next to him. Jason figured that whoever normally sat there—Travis Stoll, or was it Connor?—wouldn't mind moving.

"Jason, hey," Percy said, slightly startled by Jason's presence, but friendly and energetic nonetheless. Jason noticed that he had one of those infectious smiles, the kind that made everyone, no matter how upset, suddenly feel like smiling along with him. He could see why Percy would have been a good friend for Nico. "I'm fine, I guess. Did you finish the homework from last night?"

Jason's stomach dropped to his toes. "We had homework in here?"

"Yeah. The reading? About the Labyrinth?"

"Oh," Jason struggled to recall the myth. He'd originally signed up for the class because of his love for mythology, Greek and Roman myths in particular. He'd read books all about the myths when he was younger, so a lot of the time in class he just learned about stories he already had heard. "Theseus, Daedalus, Minos, Ariadne, some string?"

"Yup. Although you'll probably need to know more than that for the quiz."

"Damn it," Jason groaned, slapping his forehead.

"Been a little distracted lately?" Percy joked.

_You have no idea, Percy Jackson, _Jason wanted to say.

"I think now would be a great time to go visit the school nurse," Jason surmised, rising from his chair just as the bell rang.

"Take your seat, Mr. Grace," Miss Hestia (whose last name went unused because according to her, no one would be able to pronounce it anyway).

"Uhm, I'm feeling a little nauseous, Miss."

"Are you going to throw up?" She asked politely.

"No, I don't think so but—"

"How about you take your quiz and then I can write you a nurse's pass, hmm?"

…

The mythology quiz, the physics lab, the economics timed writing . . . Jason was fairly sure he bombed all three of them. No matter how hard he tried to focus, thoughts of Nico rattled incessantly around in his head. Jason couldn't stop asking himself if Nico would still be there when Jason got home.

So, needless to say, Jason didn't wait for Leo and Piper after the final bell. Once Jason cleared the front doors of the school, all he could focus on was not full-on sprinting home.

He made it to his building in nearly half the time walking normally took him and speed-walked to the elevator. Why did his floor have to be so damn high up?

When Jason unlocked the door, the apartment was quiet, although that didn't necessarily mean anything.

An undying optimist, Jason knocked once on the door and waited a second before entering. If Nico, by some wild chance, was still there, he wanted to give the boy advance warning that he was coming in.

Jason took a deep breath and pushed the door open. His jaw nearly hit the floor in surprise at what he saw.

Nico di Angelo was once again fast asleep, curled up on Jason's bed, but using the comforter from the floor rather than Jason's actual blankets. Sleeping Nico in broad daylight looked even more innocent and peaceful than sleeping Nico had the previous night. Even considering his black eye and generally bruised face, he looked good. The light seem to shine down straight on him, like a blessing from above. His hair fell around his face like a halo of darkness, which Jason found both ironic and appropriate.

It struck Jason much younger Nico looked while he slept. When Nico was awake, the permanent scowl he wore and the bitter fires raging behind his eyes made him seem mature, aged beyond his years in the worst kind of way: by hardships. But asleep…

Asleep, Nico barely passed for sixteen. Without the foul expression, the boy actually looked more like a fourteen or fifteen year old than someone old enough to drive. It helped that Nico was physically on the smaller side. Jason guessed he was only about five feet seven inches and hardly more than skin and bones.

He really was cute, though. _More _than cute, even.

But Jason couldn't think that way. He was trying to _help_ Nico, not date him.

_Help, not date. Help._

Jason let out a breath, quietly shutting the door behind him. He'd just let the boy sleep for a while. Clearly Nico was exhausted. Jason found his book where he'd accidently left it that morning in the kitchen and grabbed a snack. Now that he didn't have to stress over whether Nico had bailed or not, Jason realized that he hadn't eaten much during lunch. His stomach had been trying to devour itself for the better part of the last hour.

After consuming a ham sandwich, Jason quickly peeked in his mom's room. He knew he shouldn't care—his mom certainly never worried about _his _whereabouts—but Jason liked to know that she made it home okay every day after her long nights of drinking. Like nearly every time he did this, Jason found his mother passed out on her bed, still dressed from the night before. Jason shook his head. _Typical, _he thought, bitter even though he wished he wasn't. Deep down, he still longed for the woman his mother used to be. Sure, his family was never perfect. His dad had hardly been the ideal father, but he made Jason's mom happy. His family, for the most part, had been a typical one.

More than he missed his mother, more than he missed his father, Jason missed Thalia. She would know exactly how to navigate the Nico situation if she were still here. Jason almost wanted to call her, but how could he possibly bring it up over the phone? And besides, he couldn't tell anyone about Nico.

But damn, he wished he could. Just to talk to Thalia. Just to get advice from her. "Oh, hey Thalia, I think I'm slightly attracted to this guy from my school. But uh, it's complicated. Why, you ask? Well, he's accused of murdering his big sister and currently hiding out in our apartment. And he's innocent but I have no idea how to prove it. Talk to you later, sis! Miss you!"

Yeah, no.

When Jason walked back into his room, Nico was awake. He sat on the bed, knees up to his chest, face red. "Uh, hi," he mumbled.

"Hey Nico, how are you feeling?"

"Please stop talking to me like you're my personal nurse," the drowsy dark haired boy frowned.

"Would you rather me be your doctor, because I can enroll in medical school," Jason smirked, making his way over to the bed and sitting on the edge.

"That won't be necessary."

"Well what about food, do you consider eating _necessary_?" Jason wiggled his eyebrows.

"Eh, maybe I'll just wait for you to fall asleep and then feast on your flesh," Nico decided.

"Sounds fabulous. But for now, how about some actual nourishment?"

Nico gave the older boy a quizzical look, "Did you forget that up until today I had no steady source of food for like, two weeks. I can handle eight hours without eating."

"Well now you don't have to."

"You act like I plan on staying," Nico commented.

"You're still here," Jason replied, unable to conceal a smile.

"Your hero complex is really annoying. I think you've read one too many books."

"One can never read too many books, first of all," Jason informed him, "and I do _not _have a hero complex. I'm just doing what I think is right."

"Harboring a criminal?"

"An innocent kid."

Anger flashed in Nico's eyes. "I am not a kid," he growled, getting out of the bed and crossing the room. "And I'm not innocent, either."

"A teenage boy, whatever." Jason hadn't said kid to be condescending. Nico wasn't even two years younger than Jason, and he didn't exactly act like a kid—for the most part… he did have a childlike stubbornness—or look like a kid, either. But still, he had that lost puppy thing going on that Jason couldn't help but associate with youth.

Besides, Nico _was _a kid. And so was Jason, for that matter. Legally, neither of them were adults. Sure, teenagers were often treated like adults, and expected to act like ones, but that didn't change the fact that they weren't. No matter their behavior, teenagers were still kids.

"Either way, you didn't murder anyone," Jason said.

"I may as well have," Nico muttered ominously, not making eye contact.

Jason wanted to ask what he meant, the curiosity literally burned in his throat. But then Nico turned his back on Jason, making it clear that he was not willing to elaborate.

Nico still didn't trust Jason, apparently.

Jason added trust issues to the list of things he'd have to work around in order to befriend Nico.

Oh, and self-loathing.

"So, where do we go from here?" Jason asked, changing the subject.

"What?" Nico asked flatly, half turning his head but not completely facing Jason.

"What's your plan? Clear your name. Get out of the city. Hide out here. What about your parents?"

"What _about _my parents?" Nico repeated with irritation.

"Could you go to them? They don't actually think you killed Bianca, right?"

"I'm not going home," was all Nico had to say about that.

Family questions: apparently _also _off-limits.

"Okay, then stay here. As long as you want. I mean, I know crashing on my floor isn't ideal, but if it's this or the streets . . ."

"I'm not your charity case and I'm not your responsibility. I'll be out of your hair soon, trust me. It's better for you that way."

"Is it better for you? Everyone needs a friend, Nico."

"That doesn't mean anything. You have no obligation to be my friend, okay? Nor should you want to. Really, give it a rest."

Jason growled in frustration, rising suddenly to his feet."Damn it Nico, we've been over this. I know I don't _have _to help you, and I don't _have _to be your friend. But it's something I want to do."

"Maybe it's not something _I _want to do."

"You want to hang around in back alleys and get beaten to shit for money you don't have?"

Nico opened his mouth to reply, and then snapped it shut, muttering what sounded like curse words under his breath and making some huffing sound. "Maybe that _is _what I want."

"Why? Why is that a better option than being safe, fed, and away from people trying to arrest you?"

"Because!" Nico practically yelled. "I have nothing to offer up, okay? Nothing but baggage and way more trouble than you want to concern yourself with. What you think you know, that's just the tip of the fucking iceberg. We're not going to be friends, okay? Once I get my mom I'm never coming back to New York again, and you can hopefully forget all of this happened."

It was a good thing Jason's mom was a deep sleeper when hung-over, what with all the yelling.

The blond sat down again, letting out a deep, exasperated breath. Being nice had never been so hard before. He was going to argue for the millionth time that Jason wasn't doing all of this because he expected anything in return, but something the other boy had said caught his attention.

"What do you mean _get_ your mom?" He questioned.

Nico's expression changed briefly, as if he realized he'd said too much. Other than when he was asleep, it was the most unguarded Jason had ever seen Nico's face. But then, just as fast as the change had happened, he returned to his sullen and unreadable exterior.

"Nothing. Nevermind. Just leave me alone. Actually, I should just go."

Jason felt like punching holes in the bedroom door. "I'm really trying here, Nico. I want to know more about you, and what happened, and I want to show you that not everyone in the whole fucking world is a shitty person and you're too damn stubborn to even consider that maybe being friends could be a good thing, Maybe you could use the help!"

Nico stared at Jason for a long moment, trying to make sense of his words. "You really, _really _don't want me as a friend, trust me."

"That's my decision to make."

Nico balled up his fists and looked ready to scream. "You know what, I'm going to tell you a story. Then you can tell me if you still want to be my friend." A deep darkness had moved into Nico's features, almost frightening, but not totally. Unsettling, maybe. No person that young should look that aged, that miserable, that tormented.

Jason got comfortable on the bed, preparing for the story he was about to hear. He waited for Nico to sit, too, but the dark haired boy seemed content to stand, still on the other side of the room.

"My father's never been father of the year, first of all. Apparently his father was an even bigger asshole, though I find that hard to believe. He died when I was young, so I don't remember much about him. But supposedly he did really fucked up shit. And well, like father like son, my dad was no better." Nico swallowed hard, turning suddenly to stare out the windows, then back to Jason, hesitantly.

"I think he always hated me. Bianca was his favorite kid, and he even treated her like shit most of the time. But I took the worst of it. He had it out for me since I was just a child. Bianca, she was the family angel. Dad always boasted about her to his friends. But me? I was a nuisance. Sometimes he'd beat me up for no reason at all, but I'd be too hurt and scared to come out of room and he wouldn't have to see me for a day or two, which was probably how he liked it." Jason wanted to say something, but found that there were no words inside of him. Not a single word in the whole world.

" It got worse right before high school," Nico continued, "Dad found me kissing someone… a guy. He flipped out. Said I wasn't his son because no son of his would ever kiss another boy. He beat me really bad that time. My mom ended up taking me to the hospital, saying I was jumped by some kids at the soccer fields. Four bullies. Yeah right. More like one jackass father. But well, nothing much I could do but put up with it. At least it was me and not Bianca, not my mother either. All I wanted to do was protect them," his voice quivered, "But this year my father got even worse. He came to the conclusion that the best way to punish me was to punish the people I cared about. Which was only my mom and Bi—" he could barely say the name, "Bianca. I don't have friends, Jason. I _can't _have friends."

"He would hit your mom? And your sister?" Jason asked gently.

Nico nodded once, eyes dropping to the floor. "That's when I started fighting back. Hurting me was one thing. But that was my mom, my sister… I had to protect them." He paused for a moment, lost in his memories.

"Bianca… she started acting out, trying to take some of the heat off of me. And I couldn't let her do that. I didn't want her to get in trouble for me. And my father, he got it in his head that it was my mom's fault for having such fucked up children. And he… he choked her one time. I was scared he was going to kill her and so I punched him in the face."

Nico swallowed hard. "That was the worst he'd ever hurt me. I could barely stand. Bi was worried that he'd broken one of my bones. But still, that night I tried to get Bianca and my mom out of there. We couldn't live like that any longer. I was helping Bianca pack her things… when my dad walked in. He wasn't supposed to be home. He had a work thing. But he got home early. And he was furious. He told me that by caring so much about my family, I was killing them. He told me that I couldn't care about people, because that made me think I was brave and strong, and I wasn't. He didn't want me to act out. He liked it when I was weak, when I was afraid. But—but I couldn't let myself be afraid of him. All I could think about was protecting my family. And then my dad made us all go into the kitchen. He put on a pair of gloves and then he… he grabbed one of the knives."

Jason froze. He was no longer sure whether or not he wanted to hear the end of this story.

"And he was scarily calm all of a sudden, and he smiled," Nico shared as he paced across the room, not looking anywhere near Jason's general direction. "He said I had a choice to make. 'Take your pick, Nicky' he said. 'Who are you going to save, and who is going to—'" he stopped moving abruptly, "'Who is going to die tonight?'"

Tears glistened in the corners of Nico's eyes. Jason nearly told him to stop, that he didn't have to finish the story. But once again, his voice had abandoned him.

"I begged him to just kill me. Bianca and my mom were innocent. It was me he was angry with. 'Killing you wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as killing your joy,' he told me. 'So take your pick. Who do you love more?' He said if I didn't pick one, he'd just kill them both."

Nico dabbed quickly at his eyes, trying desperately to hide the tears as they fell from his eyes.

"So, you chose to save your mom. That's understandable, Nico. She gave you life," Jason stuttered.

"No, you don't understand!" Nico yelled quite suddenly, "I _didn't _choose her. I chose Bianca. I mean, Bianca was my sister, she was only seventeen years old! So I told him to spare Bianca. And you know what he did?"

He waited, and Jason knew Nico was waiting for Jason to answer… to say the words out loud so Nico wouldn't have to. "He killed her," Jason mumbled.

"There was blood everywhere," Nico choked out, "I tried to help her, tried to stop it all from flowing out of her. There was so much blood that I couldn't even see the wound. My mother passed out and I was shouting. I tried to stop Bianca from bleeding out, but I couldn't. She… she died. Her blood was all over my hands, my arms, my face. And then my father walked up to me and placed the knife in my hands. He said that 'that's what happens when you love someone too much. You love them until there's nothing left of them to care about. Just a bloody corpse.'"

"Oh my God, Nico." Jason couldn't find other words to say.

"I had the knife in my hand. I could have killed my father. I should have. But I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't kill my own father, no matter how much of a monster he was. I just dropped the knife and ran. Not my smartest moment. But that doesn't matter anymore. Being arrested is the least of my worries. My mom is still with him. I need to get her out of there. I almost let my father kill her, I owe it to her. I need to save her, and then I need to get far away from my father, and maybe then, way in the future, I can find time to worry about everything else but right now my plate is kind of full, so excuse me if I'm not more enthusiastic about being friends, the last person who tried to do me favors ended up dead. Because of me. Still sound like a friendship you want to get involved in?" At some point, Nico's crying had turned from tears of loss to unadulterated rage.

Apparently the self-loathing ran even deeper than Jason had anticipated. Here was a sixteen year old boy who literally felt directly responsible for his sister's murder. His sister who was murdered by her own father simply to teach Nico a lesson. And Jason had thought _his _family had problems.

How did one react to hearing that a girl was murdered by her own father because the father was trying break his son's spirit? Jason ran his fingers through his hair.

"I guess saying that I'm sorry wouldn't really make anything better, would it?"

Nico's dark eyes bore deep into Jason's. "No, it wouldn't."

"None of what happened was your fault though, Nico," Jason slowly got to his feet, "You… you get that, right?"

"My sister is _dead_ because of me. You get _that_, right?" The dark haired boy demanded, stepping closer so he and Jason were less than two feet away from each other.

"You didn't kill her. You were trying to look out for your family."

"Well, I did a hell of a job," Nico noted bitterly, eyes downcast.

"What happened was nothing you could control. It was out of your hands. If you think I'm going to run scared or kick you out, I'm not."

"Then you're even more stupid than I thought you were," surmised Nico.

How could Jason convince this guy that he was there for him, that he didn't care how fucked up Nico's situation was?

Okay, well, of course he cared, but that sure as hell wasn't about to stop him. "You need a friend right now, Nico, with all of this crap going on. At least just stay here while you figure out how to save your mom," absentmindedly, Jason placed a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder. Nico flinched away.

"I don't like to be touched."

_Oh, duh. Shit. _"Sorry." His hand returned to its original position at his side.

Nico squinted at Jason curiously, his head tilted somewhat to the side, his bottom lip caught between his teeth—once again seeming to forget that there was a wound there, or not caring. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll stay here and let you pretend to be Superman or whatever you think you're doing, _if _you tell me the real reason you want to help me so badly. You may be a good guy, but no one is _that _good for no reason."

It was a simple request, except Jason himself wasn't even sure yet exactly why he was doing this. It just felt… important. Vitally important. The first thing books had ever taught Jason was that everything happened for a reason.

"Look Nico, the way I see it, there are eight million people living in New York. Thousands of tourists every day. Business commuters. People literally from all over the world. And out of all of those people, it was _me _who found you. And that… that has got to mean _something, _right? When I found you, at first I didn't see who you were but I knew I had to help you. And then I recognized you, and maybe I should have been scared or tried to call the cops or something, though in your condition you couldn't exactly do much harm. Even criminals deserve medical attention, and it wasn't like I was completely convinced you were a killer anyway—"

"You had no proof otherwise," Nico reminded.

"I felt it. My gut feeling was that I should help you. And well, I still feel that way. I've been alive for seventeen years and haven't done anything. I read books and spend most of my time talking to a fifty year old man working in a bookstore. I guess I'd started to settle into the fact that maybe I'd just live a mediocre life, never do anything truly worthwhile. But then, yesterday happened. And the more I learn about you, the more I feel like I found you in that alley for a reason. I think we're meant to figure this out together. Clear your name, get your mom, stop your dad."

"You don't want to get involved in my mess," Nico mumbled.

"You keep saying that, but it's my decision."

Nico huffed indignantly. "It's a shitty decision."

Jason shrugged. "I guess only time will tell, won't it?"

"Don't come crying to me if you end up dead."

"Is that your way of telling me that you're agreeing to stay?" Jason asked, trying not to sound overly hopeful and, in all honesty, failing miserably.

"It's my way of telling you that you're a huge idiot actually, but if you really care so little about your own life, then fine. I'll let you live out your little hero detective fantasy."

The blond smirked, "Hero detective fantasy?"

"I was in your room all day, you think I didn't see your book collection? Clearly you have a thing for mysteries."

Jason's smirked turned into a grin as he looked at Nico, giving him a quick once-over. Such a peculiar boy. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

* * *

_A/N 2: Big things are happening! As you can see, I'm not much for dilly-dallying and I felt that Nico wouldn't ever agree to stay with Jason without letting him know JUST what he was getting into, hence the tragic back-story. Poor Nico! Anyway, if you want to talk to me outside of this website you can check out my tumblr, nephilimgirlbooks dot tumblr dot com. I check my mail and will also look at any posts tagged #nephilimgirlbooks. Love all of you!_


	4. Keeping Secrets

**CH. 4—Keeping Secrets (When Lying Has Never Been Your Forte)**

On Friday, Jason had to go to work. Normally that would have been a good thing. There were few things Jason loved more than escaping his problems and passing hours at Delphi Books. Jason loved breathing in the somewhat stale air and being surrounded by the smell of books. He enjoyed talking to Chiron, his employer, and he always felt as if he were surrounded by old friends. Delphi was home for Jason.

But this was different. Today, Jason was nervous about going to work. Working after school meant leaving Nico all alone in his room until eight o'clock. His secret house guest would spend twelve whole hours cooped up in Jason's room, unable to leave at the risk of running into Jason's mother.

Even worse, Nico didn't have any way of getting in contact with him if something _did _happen. Jason really needed to get that boy a cell phone or something.

Nico had stayed at Jason's for the last two days, and they'd started to fall into a sort of pattern. Nico slept on the floor with the extra comforter, Jason slept on the bed. In the morning, Jason would grab Nico some breakfast and then eat his own. Once Jason left for school, Nico would pass the day in Jason's room—reading, sleeping, surfing the internet, any activity that didn't make noise—and then Jason would get home around 3:30. Then, after the sun went down, his mom would head out and Nico could move around the apartment, shower, eat in the kitchen, and feel less like a house pet and more like a human being.

This was the first day since he'd found Nico that Jason had to work, though, and that made him extremely—and perhaps unreasonably—nervous.

"Someone is a little distracted," Leo commented in fifth period physics. "Thinking about a book?"

"Not really," Jason said. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Get a lot of sleep tonight, dude. Tomorrow is Beckendorf's party and I don't need my best friend to be tired and lame and ready to leave by ten o'clock."

Jason rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to Beckendorf's party."

"Jeez, Jason, how are you ever supposed to meet someone if all you do is stay home and read your damn books?"

"I don't need to meet someone."

"Are you sure you don't have a secret boyfriend you aren't telling me about?"

Jason did have a boy, and he was a secret, but that was beside the point. "Yes, I'm sure. No secret boyfriend."

"We _need_ to go to the party. Calypso is going to be there."

"You don't need me there to flirt with Calypso."

"Fine, but don't expect me to be your wingman when you need one. Jerk."

"You're so dramatic."

Leo shrugged.

…

At first, staying in Jason's ridiculously nice apartment, warm and hidden away, had sounded like a pretty sweet deal to Nico. Food, no fear of freezing to death, protection from everyone trying to find him? Count him in!

He'd never considered that it would be so goddamn boring.

Sure, having Jason around to talk to was nice. He couldn't deny that—even though he wanted to. Jason continued to be overwhelmingly nice, accommodating, considerate, and well… perfect. He was fucking perfect, okay? (But that was a problem Nico didn't choose to think about.)

The thing was… Jason couldn't be around all the time. There were eight hours a day where Jason had to go to school and Nico was left all alone, confined to a single room with little to do and no one to talk to. And that didn't include the days that Jason worked.

Like today. The first day Jason had to work since taking Nico in. This hadn't seemed like much of a problem to Nico… until four o'clock rolled around. He was bored, and worse than that, the gnawing pain that Nico was all too familiar with—loneliness—had started to set in. He'd thought he was past the point where he could even _feel _lonesome, but that would just be too lucky, right? When was he ever lucky?

It had only taken two days for Nico to grow accustomed to the blond's presence, and now he found himself… missing him? Or just missing the company in general, perhaps. Not missing _Jason. _

That would be crazy.

Whatever the reason, all this alone time was not helping Nico's sanity. How could he just sit around between these four walls all day long while everything outside of them fell to pieces? Nico didn't even know if his mom was _okay. _That had to be the worst part. He couldn't handle the idea that his father may have turned all of his rage on her. What if Nico's mother got hurt while he just sat around in Jason's room all day and did nothing?

Unable to continue with that train of thought, Nico crossed the room and plopped down on Jason's desk chair, starting up the sleek silver laptop.

He had told himself he wouldn't do this. It wouldn't accomplish anything. Not a single thing.

But he did it anyway.

With a great sigh, Nico typed three words into the internet search bar.

_Nico di Angelo._

…

"Got something on your mind, Jason?" Chiron asked after Jason nearly forgot to give the customer the books she paid for after taking her money.

_Yes, _he thought, _Nico di Angelo is on my mind. _Jason shrugged, "Nothing in particular, why?"

"You've been distracted ever since you got here. You're getting enough sleep, right?"

"Yeah Chiron, I'm fine."

Jason started helping Chiron out before he was even old enough to get a job. Chiron was his boss, his friend, and the only father figure Jason really had after his dad died. (And even before then, if Jason was being painfully honest.) It wasn't surprising to Jason that Chiron could see right through him.

"Something's going on with you. You're not usually so unfocused."

"Just thinking about my new book," Jason lied.

Chiron raised an eyebrow, "Have you not finished it yet? You got it Tuesday, I thought surely you would have finished by now, the way you read."

"I accidently left it at home the other day, lost hours of good reading time." That, at least, was not a lie.

Jason had left his book at home on Wednesday, but since then he'd barely picked it up. All his brain could focus on was Nico, and Nico's father, and how the hell Jason was going to help, and clear Nico's name, _and _reunite him with his mother…

And his eyes—dark, unwelcoming, yet so incredibly intriguing.

Wait, no. Jason wasn't thinking about _that. _And he certainly wasn't thinking about that little detail he'd learned about Nico when he told his big long family story. He wasn't thinking about the fact that Nico got in trouble for kissing a boy.

He absolutely was not thinking about the fact that Nico di Angelo liked boys.

Absolutely not.

"I see," Chiron nodded. "Well, I'll let you get back to work. Please try and focus, son."

"Of course, sir."

Jason tried to focus, he really did. But no one went to bookstores on Fridays night other than Jason, apparently and he just couldn't take his mind off of a certain dark haired boy. Jason wanted to think he was just worried that his mom would walk in, or that Nico would decide to leave without warning, but it was more than that.

He didn't… he _couldn't_…

There was no way Jason could have… _feelings _for Nico, right?

Sure, the younger boy was fascinating, and oddly attractive if one could get past all the bruises, and Jason had to admit he kind of liked being around him.

But liked _him? _

Well, as a friend, sure. Despite all the baggage and infuriating stubbornness, Nico seemed like a cool guy.

A cool, totally platonic friend.

Totally, completely, one hundred percent platonic.

Right?

_Right?_

The problem was… Jason wasn't entirely sure. He definitely knew that he had strong feelings for Nico, a strong urge to protect him and take care of him, but what did those feelings mean?

However he felt about Nico, it was a feeling that Jason had never experienced before and couldn't even begin to identify.

So yeah, maybe Jason was a little distracted at work. Sue him.

…

When Jason finally—finally—got home, he made a mad dash for his room to check on Nico. He still wasn't totally sure he wouldn't come home one day to find Nico gone.

"Your internet history is incredibly dull," Nico informed Jason as he stepped into the room. "I had no idea there were so many wiki page things dedicated to books."

Jason's initial relief at finding the younger boy safe and in his room dissipated. "You were snooping through my internet history?"

Nico shrugged. "Well, I already snooped through the rest of your room. Maybe tomorrow I'll go through your phone."

Jason glared at him, "Maybe not."

The other boy chuckled without real humor, "What do _you _have to hide?"

"Your sixteen year old ass, for starters."

"Touché," Nico nodded, "Although I must admit, your room is pretty vanilla. It's just full of books."

"I am not vanilla! Maybe they seems lame to you, but you didn't actually _read _the books. They're not 'vanilla' either." Jason wouldn't let Nico make his books, no matter how cute he was.

"Oh, what, do you secretly read dirty books?" He withdrew a random novel from Jason's shelf. "Agatha Christie get pretty kinky?"

"Shut up," Jason groaned, wishing he had something to throw at the other boy's head. Perhaps a tractor. No one insulted Agatha and got away with it.

Nico pushed back a lock of hair, drawing the older boy's eyes to his face. "The bruises don't look so bad today," he noticed.

"Does your boss give you drugs? I look like some blindfolded kid mistook me for a piñata."

Jason snorted. Okay, maybe Nico still had a ways to go before recovery, but he honestly didn't mind. In fact, it was easy to forget the bruises were even there. Hard to get distracted by a black eye when Nico had already been born with a pair of particularly alluring dark eyes. Those were what had captured Jason's attention, not the swelling or the bruising or the little cuts from when he hit the cement. Just those eyes. Those beautiful brown—

_What the fuck, Jason?_ The blond reprimanded, mentally slapping himself.

Friends didn't check their friends out. Period. And Nico was his friend. His friend. Only that.

_Platonic feelings, platonic feelings, platonic, platonic!_

_Holy shit, those eyes._

Maybe slightly more than platonic…

"When is your mom leaving? I'm getting hungry," Nico asked, yanking Jason back to reality like a bungee cord.

"She'll probably be gone within the hour. Should I order a pizza or something?" Jason crossed to his bed and flung himself onto the mattress.

"Sure, what kind do you normally get?"

"Just cheese."

"Vanilla," Nico coughed, earning him a pillow to the head.

…

The pizza arrived around the same time Jason's mom left for the night and was half cheese and half sausage to satisfy both boys.

"So," Jason started, withdrawing two plates from the cabinet, "Besides going through all of my stuff, what did you do for the thirteen or so hours I was gone?"

Nico shrugged, "Slept a little. Looked through some books and shit. Oh, and I internet searched myself. I am now the most interesting thing in your web history. Apparently the question now is if I'll kill again. Who would have thought the media would get so excited over a homicidal teenager?"

"You really shouldn't be reading that crap, you know it's all lies."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I'm fine. Do you know how boring it gets sitting around all day? At least life in the streets could get a little interesting. Trying to get food, avoiding the public eye—"

"Getting beaten up by muggers…" Jason added.

"I never said it was all fun, Grace."

Jason bit down on his pizza slice. "You're pretty weird, you know."

Nico side-eyed him, "Apparently you are too, Mr. Kinky Books. It's Friday night, isn't it? Won't your friends be suspicious that you aren't going out?"

"What do you know about my friends?" Jason inquired.

"You hang out with that loud Valdez guy and Tristan McLean's daughter," offered Nico. "She was in one of my classes last year."

"Piper and Leo," Jason corrected. "They know I had work tonight. Besides, I don't really go out much anyway, that's my mom's thing."

"And your other friends?"

"The only other people I consider friends are a middle aged bookseller and you. So I think I'm okay, unless Chiron wants to discuss the new Stephen King novel."

And then something crazy happened, Nico smiled. Not a bitter smile, an ironic smile, or a cold one, but a genuine, honest-to-God smile. It wasn't a full smile, more of a small half smile, but it was real. It was the first time Jason could remember actually seeing Nico smile. And it was… transforming. Jason felt like he was witnessing something spectacular. The hardness in his friend's features melted away for that small moment. Sleeping Nico had nothing on smiling Nico. Jason wanted to make Nico smile again. He wanted to make Nico smile all the time, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. Nobody's smile should have had that much of an impact on him. And yet…

Nico.

"Is Stephen King your favorite author?" Nico asked, oblivious to the effect he was having on Jason.

Jason gave a noncommittal shrug, "One of them. And Agatha Christie… Don't look at me like that, she isn't kinky," he added in response to the knowing smirk Nico gave him. "James Patterson. Tolkien."

"What, not Stephenie Meyer?"

Jason made a face. "I'm sorry, what are your hobbies then?"

"Maiming, killing, reanimating corpses, skinning cats. Normal stuff."

Getting to know Nico was just as difficult as Jason had originally anticipated, if not more so.

"Come on, your hobbies. Your _real _ones," Jason prompted.

"I don't know, I don't really have a _thing _like you do. Although, when I was younger I played this one game. It was kinda dumb though…"

Jason grinned, "What was it?" He couldn't really picture Nico as a child. He'd only started going to school with the guy last year.

Nico mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"Mythomagic," Nico repeated, suddenly very interested in his plate. "Don't laugh at me, Grace. I was a kid."

"I'm not laughing," Jason said, chuckling slightly. Nico narrowed his eyes.

"No really," Jason elaborated, "I'm not making fun of you. When I was a kid I read comic books all day."

"I knew it, you do have a hero complex. Let me guess, Superman?"

Jason made a face, "No. Spider-Man. Spider-Man kicks ass. And so does Gwen Stacy."

"You have a thing for Gwen, huh?"

_No, I have a thing for Spider-Man._

"Nah. She's dead anyway."

Nico choked on his water. "Really? Hmm. Poor Gwen."

The blond nodded once. "Yeah, poor Gwen."

"You're one of those people who always reads the book before seeing the movie, aren't you?"

"Anyone who doesn't is missing out."

Neither boy knew what to make of the awkward silence that followed.

"So… you have a sister." Nico prompted.

Jason lowered his pizza slice, "We don't have to talk about sisters, if you don't want to." He wouldn't really know what to do if Nico started crying again. The dark haired boy wasn't much for being consoled.

"No, it's okay," Nico reassured. "Tell me about her." The older boy hesitated. Nico rolled his eyes, tossing his hands up in what could only be described as an Italian gesture. "Jesus Jason, I can handle hearing someone talking about their sister without breaking down. And I know next to nothing about your life, which is a little unfair to be honest."

Jason grinned. There was something kind of adorable about an annoyed Nico. Said adorable boy raised an eyebrow.

"Her name is Thalia," Jason supplied. "She graduated two years ago and goes to Stanford now."

"Hence the whole never seeing her thing," Nico nodded.

"There's that. And my mother's a crazy drunk who said she never wants to see Thalia again."

"I bet that's hard, not being able to see her."

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, most of the time I wish she were here. Thalia kind of had to become my mom after our dad died. Mom, uh, didn't cope well."

Nico reached out, almost like he planned to lay his hand on Jason's shoulder, but hastily changed his mind and scratched his head instead. It had been over forty-eight hours since the last time the boys had actually touched. Not that Jason was counting.

"Bi—_Bianca_, she would always try and Mom me. I used to harp on her about it all the time," Nico mumbled, staring out the windows at the New York skyline.

"Sisters," Jason sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

…

"What is this?" Nico asked Saturday afternoon, pointing at the shopping bag Jason had just dropped at his feet.

"Clothes. You know, those things that go on your body."

The younger boy narrowed his eyes. "I have clothes," he stated. Nico had been perfectly content just wearing the same old clothes he'd worn in the streets, changing only into a pair of basketball shorts Leo had apparently left at Jason's months ago when it was time to sleep. The idea of Jason actually spending money to get Nico clothing was preposterous.

"Don't be stupid. You can't just keep wearing the same outfit all the time. It's practically falling apart." Nico glanced down at the rip in his jeans, running all the way from his mid-shin to above his knee and then examined his shirt, faded to dark gray after weeks in the street and still not completely clean after multiple washes.

"My clothes are in mint condition. Return the damn stuff. You don't need to be spending money on me."

"I already did. Oh, and because I knew you'd try and be stubborn about it, I took the liberty of removing all the price tags and, uh, 'losing' the receipt. You're welcome!"

"Persistent asshole," Nico huffed, grouchily sifting through the bag. Sure enough, he found three shirts—one long-sleeve and two short—and two pairs of incredibly soft sweatpants. Not ideal for going outside in the winter, but that hardly mattered to Nico, the glorified prisoner. At least everything was black. Apparently, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Nico's color preference.

After a moment, Nico realized there was another, smaller bag buried under the clothes, stocked with all the necessary toiletries.

"Look, you're all set!" Jason exclaimed.

"I see that. Thanks. You're too kind. Really. Too kind."

The blond grinned widely.

What was Nico going to do with him?

…

"I hate sitcoms," Nico complained, flipping through the TV channels mindlessly Saturday night, "They're so unrealistic it's ridiculous."

Jason plopped down on the couch beside the dark haired boy. "But that's what is so great about them! It's a distraction from all the shitty problems of the real world."

"It's dumb," the smaller boy corrected. He sighed and handed the remote to Jason, who accidently brushed his fingertips across Nico's wrist in the process.

"Sorry," he mumbled as Nico tore his hand away.

"No, it's—it's fine," the dark haired boy stuttered, looking more than a little embarrassed. "Old habits are kind of hard to break, I, uh, I know you wouldn't…" He didn't finish.

A sudden outburst of laughter sounded from the television and Jason turned it off. The room fell into a roaring silence.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jason said, scratching his forehead semi-uncomfortably. Whether or not he wanted to admit it, there was a part of him that had liked touching Nico, and a part of him that wanted to do it again.

"So… if you don't like cheesy sitcoms, what _do _you watch?" Jason inquired, grasping desperately for a change in conversation.

A hesitant smile broke out on Nico's face, just as remarkable as the night before. "Oh, you know, live beheadings. Isn't that what all the kids are watching these days?"

The blue eyed boy shook his head."Can you not give a straight answer?"

"Straight isn't really my forte," Nico deadpanned. Jason hoped to God he wasn't blushing.

"Good one," he conceded.

"Does it make you uncomfortable? My… interests?"

_Yes. It makes me super uncomfortable because I might have a more than friendly fascination with you and that is certainly not okay. And for the love of God, stop being so fucking cute. _

"Not at all." That probably would have been a great time to add that Jason shared Nico's "interests" but it seemed too weird to casually tack on that he was also gay.

_You like dudes? Me too, man! Me too! In fact, I might even like _you!

Nico examined Jason's face for signs of dishonesty and whether or not he found any, Jason wasn't sure. As far as Jason knew, he may very well have had the word gay tattooed to his forehead.

Nico rose hastily to his feet. "Well, I'm just going to go and—" whatever he planned to say was swallowed by a surprised gasp as Nico stumbled on the area rug and nearly face planted. He would have certainly eaten the carpet if not for Jason's quick reflexes, grabbing his arm and standing suddenly, pulling Nico back to his feet before his hair could even brush the ground.

"Thanks," Nico muttered, his face redder than a candy apple. (A very cute candy apple, but that was irrelevant.)

"Don't mention it," Jason said. He glanced down, at once realizing that his hand still rested on Nico's arm. "Hey look," he commented, "No flinching that time."

"I was a little preoccupied with the whole tripping thing," Nico retorted.

"Well, you aren't tripping now," he reminded, softly gliding his fingers across Nico's lower arm.

"No, I guess I'm not," the younger boy breathed, making no effort to push Jason away as he continued to run his fingers across Nico's skin. Tingles shot up his entire arm at the contact. He'd never though touching the underside of someone's arm could be so electric.

Feeling bolder, Jason took Nico's hand and swiped his thumb along the other boy's knuckles. However, Nico shivered a little, and Jason figured he had probably made the younger male uncomfortable, so he released the hand. "Well, I'm earning your trust at least. It's a start."

Nico said nothing, his eyes locked on Jason, dark and more unreadable than ever before. Damn it, Jason knew the hand thing was a step too far. The last thing he wanted to do was creep the kid out, or worse, traumatize him further.

"I already trust you, Jason," Nico sighed, finally lowering his eyes. "It's just—things are complicated. But I am trying to be your friend. I can't promise I'll be very good at it though."

Friends had been Jason's goal from day one. Befriend Nico. Help him. Be there for him, But why did that suddenly feel like not enough? This strange guy who used to play Mythomagic and searched through people's internet history in his spare time, who didn't want help with the littlest of things, who was so completely devoted to protecting those closest to him, this massive ball of confusion and cuteness by the name of Nico di Angelo.

Was it possible to have feelings for someone after just four days?

Yes, apparently it was.

God, what in the world had Jason gotten himself into?

"Hey, I'm gonna shower quickly, feel free to do whatever," Jason announced, suddenly desperate to clear his head,

"M'kay," Nico replied. "I'll be here. As if I have a choice."

Jason chuckled nervously.

…

Nico was in trouble, and he knew it.

The "holy shit my dad is a psycho killer trying to frame me for murder just because he can" kind of trouble was enough to deal with, and now he had to be caught up in a whole mess of problems revolving around some pretty blue eyes and an infectious smile.

_Straight isn't my forte? Straight isn't my fucking forte!? What an idiotic thing to say. Stupid. Stupid._

When was Nico going to learn? Crushing on straight boys was going to be the death of him. _Fuck it all. _

Hadn't Percy been enough of a close call last spring? He was really going to do this again?

His fucking sister had been _murdered, _his mom was still with the guy who had done it, and meanwhile Nico was playing house with some guy that it was so, _so _wrong to be attracted to. How weak-willed could Nico be? A pretty blond boy basically goes through a shitload of trouble to help him and Nico was going to fuck all of that up by developing feelings?

Nope. Nope. Nope.

He didn't care how good it had felt when Jason touched him. Nico was going to crush his crush before he could ruin everything. He was going to forget about how that little scar on Jason's lip—which he had been meaning to ask about—made every time he smiled unique and adorable.

He sure as Hell wasn't going to think about Jason in the shower.

Nico was, however, suddenly curious about the contents of Jason's books. Ever since last night he'd wondered what secrets could be hidden between their pages. He wandered into Jason's room.

He may have acted like he didn't care much about reading, but that was more to tease Jason than anything. In reality, Nico really enjoyed reading when he could find the time to do so. He'd probably read all of Orson Scott Card's books three times. And, although he'd never mentioned it to Jason when he'd brought it up, Nico also loved Lord of The Rings.

However, unlike Jason, Nico didn't read nearly as much as he could have. Maybe that was because Nico spent most of his time outside of school trying to avoid his father's wrath and look out for Bianca.

_So much for that._

Pain shot through Nico's heart. He wondered if there would ever be a day where Bianca's name didn't make him want to curl up on the floor, cover his ears, and scream.

He sighed, selecting a random book. Nico needed a distraction even more than he had before.

"That's a sequel," Jason said. Nico jumped. He hadn't even heard the shower stop or noticed the door open. Thinking of Bianca shut his senses down.

Not normally caught by surprise, Nico pivoted around to make up some excuse for jumping.

_Holy shit. _

"Sorry, I forgot my clothes out here."

Jason was in a towel.

A fucking towel.

His hair was wet and messy, sticking to his forehead in some places. Drops of water slid down his naked chest, falling all the way to the towel around Jason's waist, drawing Nico's eyes down.

_Shit, stop it! What are you doing? Stop checking him out!_

"Oh, yeah," Nico mumbled, looking away. It didn't really matter what his eyes landed on as long as it wasn't Jason.

What kind of a fucking book nerd had a body that ridiculously good? Abs, seriously?

Straight, hot, and apparently rich (his apartment was fucking nice), yeah, Jason was so far out of his league it was pathetic.

And then on top of that he had to walk around in nothing but a towel? That was just cruel.

_Did you forget I'm gay? _Nico wanted to scream. _Put some mother fucking clothes on!_

"The first book is over here," Jason said, reaching behind Nico and removing another book from God only knew where. Nico could care less about the damn book.

_Oh sweet Jesus, get dressed already!_

_In the bathroom. _

_With the door shut. _

_For the love of God._

"Thanks," Nico mumbled, taking the book and scurrying away. At least in the living room he was safe from Jason's hot body.

It was official: Nico was in _so _much trouble.

* * *

_A/N: So there's chapter four! Are you guys liking the story so far? Review or PM me, I'd love to talk. And of course, I'm on tumblr as nephilimgirlbooks and twitter Nephilim_Girl. See you next week!_


	5. Letting Go

**CH. 5—Letting Go (It's Harder Than You Think)**

Monday morning was painful.

Jason couldn't seem to fall asleep at night these days. His mind refused to shut down, no matter how many times he tried to persuade it to do so. Nico couldn't sleep either, but they never really discussed it. Two boys tossing and turning and sighing and getting up to go the bathroom without talking was kind of awkward, but there was not much they could do about it. Trying to strike up a conversation meant acknowledging that neither of them would be getting much sleep that night. And that meant giving up.

Jason felt like he'd been asleep for all of forty minutes when his alarm went off. He didn't know if it was actually only forty minutes, but he hoped not. He needed at least a few hours to get through the day.

Nico groaned in response to the shrill ringing."Fuck, turn it off!"

"Sorry," Jason mumbled, still half asleep. The beeping ceased.

"Get a more pleasant alarm, for the love of God, I beg you."

"Go back to sleep, Nico."

"What the hell is sleep?" Came the boy's muffled voice, buried deep in a pillow.

"Something that you can do all day while I'm at school, so stop complaining," Jason replied grouchily, throwing his legs over the side of the mattress and beginning the painful process of parting with his warm bed.

Jason didn't need to check the weather to know that it was going to be another miserably cold day. Snow swirled through the still-purplish sky outside his window. He decided to hold off on the shower until after school. Jason had no desire to arrive at school with icicles forming in his hair.

Jason picked out some warm clothes and headed to the bathroom to change and get ready for the day. Shit, he was _not _looking forward to another dragging week of school. On top of his lack of sleep, Jason hadn't completed his stats homework or finished the mythology reading, something that he blamed on a particular Italian-American teenager with a penchant for stubbornness and a pair of sexy dark eyes.

Great, Jason found Nico _sexy _now? He was supposed to be ignoring his attraction, not letting it grow and take root. Things were _not _going to end well if Jason kept on this path. What the hell had he been thinking Saturday night, just waltzing out of the bathroom in a towel? What if Nico thought Jason was trying to seduce him? What if that's why he had been more remote since then?

Maybe it was for the best that Nico didn't know about Jason's preference for boys. Jason would never forgive himself if this kid in need ran away from help because he felt like his benefactor/friend was trying to get in his pants.

So so so _so_ fucked up.

Jason finished dressing and had just grabbed his coat when there was a sudden knocking on the bedroom door.

"Jase, hurry your ass up!" Leo called from the other side.

Nico shot up, and he and Jason stared at each other for a panicked moment. "Closet," Jason mouthed. The younger boy nodded and scurried off.

Jason took a breath and opened his bedroom door. "Leo, what the hell are you doing _in _my apartment? We lock our doors."

Leo grinned mischievously, "Well I have a key, obviously. I stole the spare out from under the front mat like a month ago. You didn't even notice. You aren't very observant for someone who has more mystery books than the school library."

"Like you've ever stepped foot in the school library," Jason teased.

"You've got to admit though, it was a great metaphor."

"Analogy," Jason corrected instinctually.

"Smart ass. I know why you ditched the party Saturday after all. You don't have a secret boyfriend, you're having a love affair with your English textbook."

The taller boy rolled his eyes."Wait, why are you here? It isn't even seven-thirty."

"Jason Grace, do you never pay attention to anything ever?" Leo exclaimed, "We specifically discussed Friday at lunch that we're meeting Piper for doughnuts before school today. At this rate, she's going to beat us there."

"Okay, one second, let me get my shoes."

"Also, you should have been at Beckendorf's party. Lots of guys you could have been checking out. A lot more attractive than your English textbook."

"Don't make me hit you," Jason threatened. "Come on, let's go. And give me back the damn spare key."

…

"So, how was your weekend Jason?" Piper asked as the trio sat down at a table. "You should have gone to Beckendorf's. Leo got rejected by Calypso again."

Leo glowered at his friend. "She's playing hard to get. No matter, though, I like them feisty."

"Them? Girls are living breathing things, Leo," Piper chided.

Jason would be happy to let his friends do all the talking, but of course he wasn't that lucky. "Really though, what did you do? Finally finish that book?"

"Yeah," Jason said, probably the only thing he _had _done that weekend that he could be honest about.

"Everything you hoped?"

"Oh come on, do we _have _to talk about books? That better not have been why you skipped out on the party."

"It wasn't," Jason told him. "I just had no desire to go to the party. All people from school do is gossip about Nico di Angelo. They don't even know if he's guilty."

Piper sipped her coffee. "I think everyone is pretty sure he did it. I agree though, it _is _annoying. Hopefully it will all quiet down after they catch him or find his body or whatever it is they're looking for at this point."

Jason wanted to snap at her, but held back. Of course she thought Nico was guilty, his fingerprints were all over the knife. Nico's dad had really set up the perfect crime. It made Jason sick. He wished he hadn't even brought Nico up in the first place.

His name was just word vomit. Jason couldn't _not_ think about him, couldn't help but talk about him. God, he was just as bad as everyone at school. He was obsessed with Nico just like the rest of Goode High School and all of New York, for that matter.

There was only one real difference. Kids at school just cared about Nico for the sake of gossip. And Jason…

Jason cared too much.

…

Nico had planned on going back to sleep once Jason left for school. Those plans changed when Leo showed up. Nico hid in the closet, so he wouldn't be seen, but that hadn't stopped him from hearing the brief conversation the two friends had before heading out.

Why was Leo telling Jason about cute _guys _at the party? Surely Jason could care less about what the other guys looked like.

Jason was straight.

Right?

_Please please please be straight. It would be so much easier if you were straight._

Ever since Saturday's shower incident Nico had attempted to distance himself more from Jason. The more he got to know him, the more he liked him. Why couldn't Nico just be his friend like Jason kept talking about? Nico needed a friend, now more than ever. He couldn't fuck this up, or he'd be back on the streets. And, despite how Nico acted outwardly, he was really, _really _grateful for Jason's generosity. A roof, a heating system, food, a bathroom… way more than Nico had as a homeless kid. It didn't even matter that Nico slept on the floor, he had blankets and a pillow and it was perfect.

Well, nearly perfect.

God, why did he have to like Jason so much? Nico hadn't even been staying with him a week, he barely fucking knew the guy, and yet he couldn't stop thinking about him.

One would imagine that with all the other shit going on, Nico wouldn't possibly have time to think about boys but that was a damn lie. He was sixteen years old, and apparently that meant there was _always _time to think about boys. It was hard _not _to, considering Nico slept all of three feet away from the boy on his mind and spent all day in his bedroom.

Nico had even told him the truth about Bianca! What the hell was that? Nico had spilled some of his darkest secrets to a near stranger. That should have sent Jason running. It certainly would have sent others racing for the hills. How could Jason possibly still want to be Nico's friend after Nico had dropped _that_ bomb. Of course, Jason didn't know the _whole _story. He deserved to know exactly what he'd gotten himself into, but Nico wasn't eager to fill in the gaps.

Some secrets were better left that way—secret.

…

The school week moved along miserably slow. Jason's teachers had all gotten the idea to give double the usual homework load, which was awful enough on its own. But of course, on top of that was the constant distraction of Nico and the way he tended to draw Jason's thoughts away from his schoolwork.

He would sit and watch Jason work, occasionally leaning over to see what the assignment was. He'd comment on Jason's handwriting and make the occasional joke when Jason would get particularly frustrated. Of course, as a sophomore, Nico shared no classes with Jason so he simply lounged there. Sit there and smirk like watching Jason do homework was the most interesting damn thing in the world. It made Jason want to scream.

Clearly, his "little" crush on Nico was developing into a huge issue. _Shit._

"I can't read about Ariadne and the labyrinth with you breathing down my neck, Nico."

"I'm bored," he replied.

"Watching me do homework is interesting?"

"No, but you getting all irritated is mildly amusing."

"Well, I can't work this way."

Nico sighed, "Fine, pick me out a book and I'll leave you alone."

"You want me to pick out a book for you?" Jason asked, a little surprised.

"Sure. Since you're the book guru or whatever. Find a book for me."

Jason chewed on his lip while he scanned the bookshelves all around him, contemplating. After a moment, he stood and selected a book from the shelf above his desk. "Here," he tossed the book to Nico. "This one is part of a series, that should keep you busy for a while."

"_The Maze Runner_," Nico read, "Is this one of your secret dirty books?"

"It's young adult fiction," Jason corrected. "And I never said I had secret dirty books."

"I inferred," Nico admitted with a chuckle.

"It's a good book. Go read it."

Nico rolled his eyes and crossed over to Jason's bed and falling back onto it with a smirk.

Oh fabulous, now Nico was on his _bed. _That did nothing to help Jason focus.

_Thank God it's almost Friday. _

…

Friday. Unlike most teenagers, Nico had never looked forward to Fridays. He detested weekends. Before a month ago, Fridays meant having to go home and not being able to escape to school until Monday. It meant a whole weekend of being terrified of his father, terrified to even leave his own room. School may have sucked, but at least it gave Nico a chance to get away. At school, he was the quiet creepy kid who had no friends, but he never had a problem with that. It was better than home, where Nico was his father's biggest shame and favorite punching bag.

Nico used to lie awake on Friday nights and dream of running away and never seeing his father again, but he could never bring himself to go. He couldn't leave his mother and sister behind. He was tethered to them.

Bianca and his mother had always been the two ropes that held Nico to the earth. When Bianca died, one of those ropes snapped, cut like the strings of fate in Greek mythology. Now, the only thing keeping Nico from floating into oblivion was his mother. He had to save her. _He had to. _

On Friday morning, Nico stared as Jason prepared for school. He didn't mean to be such a stalker, but ignoring Jason was like trying to ignore the flashing jumbotrons in Times Square. As Jason zipped up his jacket, Nico couldn't help but think of the body Jason hid under all those clothes. How did a book nerd have such a nice physique? It was all Jason's fault. Did he really have to be nice, smart, _and _attractive? How was that fair?

Typical Nico—always doomed to develop feelings for guys it could never work out with.

Nico stiffened. Too many bad memories.

"I told Chiron I'd help him after school today, but it's not a full shift. I'll probably be back around five," Jason announced, tearing Nico away from his thoughts. Nico, realizing that he had been staring at Jason the entire time that his mind had been wandering, felt his face heat up.

"Yeah, okay," he mumbled, unable to meet Jason's eyes. "Have fun learning."

"Have fun snooping through my stuff, assessing my internet history, and scrutinizing my reading choices," Jason teased.

Nico smirked, "I will."

For a second, neither Jason nor Nico moved. Each boy stood their ground with little grins on their faces. Nico didn't want the moment to end. He didn't want Jason to turn away and exit the room. He didn't want to spend the next ten hours alone surrounded by all of Jason's things and no Jason.

As the blond left, Nico felt a tugging in his gut, like a small string pulling him in the direction of the door that Jason had just exited through.

Just a string, not a rope, but certainly one that hadn't existed before.

Nico wondered how long it took to become attached to someone. Could it happen in only ten days?

…

A part of Nico liked to think he wasn't really falling for Jason Grace. Obviously Nico felt the physical attraction, but come on, he was a teenage boy and Jason was by no means unpleasant to look at. However, Nico also knew the difference between recognizing someone's good looks and having real feelings for them. Knowing someone for less than two weeks surely couldn't enough time to develop real feelings.

At least, that was how Nico saw it.

Maybe his feelings could be simply defined as infatuation. Nico was just infatuated with Jason. He spent all day in his room and was literally reminded of the blond every minute of the day. But that didn't mean much. If Nico wasn't constantly living in Jason's world, would he feel anything for him at all?

What Nico _really _needed was fresh air. Surely being away from the smell of Jason's shower gel would help Nico clear his mind. If Nico could just get away from planet Jason for a few hours...

But that would mean taking a colossal risk. That would mean actually venturing out of Jason's apartment. Hell, Nico wasn't even supposed to leave Jason's bedroom, let alone the entire damn building.

And yet, now that the idea had settled into Nico's head, he couldn't release it. Just a nice walk to clear his mind. The fresh air would do him good. He'd survived on the streets for weeks, he could get by for just a few measly hours without being noticed. Nico was a master of staying under the radar.

Jason would be furious of course. But it wasn't even two o'clock yet and Jason wouldn't be home for three more hours. He wouldn't have to know…

Hadn't Jason told Leo to put the spare key back under the front mat? If it was there, then Nico could stretch his legs and be back in Jason's room before five without him ever being the wiser.

Nico grabbed his jacket.

…

The apartment building Nico had once lived in was far less opulent than Jason's. It's brick façade would be greatly benefitted by a power wash and a facelift. Nico's family did alright money-wise, he supposed. They'd never had to worry about paying the bills or anything, and they could probably have afforded to move somewhere in a nicer part of town, but they never had.

"A good, Italian neighborhood," his father used to say. Nico had never seen what was so "good" about it.

Still, the apartment was the only home that he had ever known. He figured that—standing outside and staring up at it—perhaps he ought to feel nostalgic or sentimental upon seeing it again. He didn't.

Twice since Bianca's death had Nico returned to the apartment. This was maybe riskier than other things he had done—a hood would hardly disguise Nico if he were to come face to face with his father—but he couldn't stop himself. It was like pressing on a bruise, clenching down on a sore tooth, scratching a mosquito bite until it bled. It didn't make anything better, but he couldn't help himself.

Nico couldn't release the hope that one of these times his mother would happen out of the building, spot Nico, and then they could run.

That was what Nico wanted. What he needed more than anything. An intense longing tore apart his insides.

But, even out here in the fresh—or, fresh for New York at least—air, Nico couldn't completely forget about the blue eyes and white smile that captivated him so.

And he wasn't sure what that meant for him. Rescuing his mother was his priority… but what did that make Jason?

Nico knew that he liked Jason way more than he should. He knew it would be better if he just didn't go back. If he forgot all about Jason and threw himself one hundred and ten percent into saving his mother.

He turned and headed back to the Financial District—straight toward Jason Grace's apartment building.

Because maybe, just maybe, Nico was tired of doing things alone, no matter how stupid or selfish that made him.

…

When Jason arrived at work that afternoon, Annabeth had already arrived. She sat behind the cash register, a new book in her hand.

"Finished the Quran?" Jason asked, raising his eyebrows. Annabeth glanced up at him.

"Yes, over the weekend."

"So what is that you're reading now?" He examined at the title, "_Mein Kampf?_ Isn't that the—"

"The Hitler book, yes."

"Uh, why?"

"Because it's interesting, and I was looking for some light reading."

The book was probably seven hundred pages. "Right, of course. I'll leave you to it."

Chiron had Jason shelving new arrivals, a job that he typically enjoyed. He liked seeing what new books were coming in, what they were about, and sometimes he would add them to his personal reading list.

This time was slightly different. As Jason gave books new homes on shelves, he found himself wondering which books _Nico _would like. Nico. Nico. Nico. Nico.

Not even work seemed to be able to distract Jason from his secret boy. No, not _his _boy. _A_ boy. Just a normal boy that Jason had no claim to. Nico di Angelo wasn't _his_ anything.

He couldn't even be sure if Nico thought of Jason as his friend. They'd gotten along well the first few days, but since then Jason had noticed the other boy growing colder. More distant. Like he'd opened up too much and now the only way to fix things was to retreat back into his own safety bubble. Now their interactions were all teasing, all light conversation, no substance.

Jason hated that. Nico didn't need to carry his burdens all on his own. Bottling all of that darkness up inside wasn't good for the kid's health—mental or physical. Jason just wanted Nico to feel comfortable around him, safe.

But he also got the feeling that Nico probably wouldn't feel safe or comfortable around anyone for a long, long time.

…

It was an especially slow Friday, so Chiron let both Jason and Annabeth off at four instead of five.

Jason picked up a few groceries on the way home—he would actually _make _dinner tonight—and still managed to make it back to his building by four-thirty.

The first thing Jason did upon returning home was drop off the groceries in the kitchen. Then, out of habit, he went to his mom's roomed, opened the door, and peeked inside. Empty bed, no sign of his mother. She must have left at some point, God only knowing when she'd return. Sometimes, especially on weekends, she'd disappear for days at a time.

After those two things were done he finally—_finally_—headed to his own room to check on Nico and let him know it was safe to come out.

Upon first opening the door, Jason noticed a distinct lack of Nico. _Strange._

"Nico? Are you going through my closet again?" Jason asked.

No reply.

"Nico?" Jason repeated, a cold fist closing around his heart.

Silence.

And then Jason noticed that Nico's jacket, the old-looking aviator styled one he'd been wearing when Jason first found him in the street, was also missing.

No jacket. No Nico.

Gone.

…

Jason found himself pacing back and forth in front of the couch in the living room. The clock informed him that it was four forty-five. Jason had left for school nearly ten hours ago. How long had Nico been gone? The entire time? How far could a kid trying to stay under the radar get in just under ten hours? By the looks of it, one of Jason's hoodies had also disappeared.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

Nico had seemed so normal when Jason left that morning. He hadn't shown any signs of wanting to leave. It didn't make sense. Why would Nico run away? There was no way he could save his mother if he got caught and thrown in prison. Was Jason's presence really so unbearable?

_I—I have to go out and look for him, _Jason decided._ Maybe I can find him before the cops do. Maybe I can convince him to come back. _

He started for the door—

Just as the knob twisted and it slid open.

Nico di Angelo casually stepped into the apartment, spare key in his hand. Almost instantly, however, his eyes landed on Jason, and he visibly tensed.

"You're home early," he stuttered, which was probably the most obvious statement of all time. He closed the door behind him slowly.

"Where the hell were you?" Jason half-yelled, trying to mask his intense relief at seeing Nico unharmed with fury. "I thought you ran off! You scared the _shit _out of me."

"I just… went for a walk, okay? You try staying inside for a week and a half without going outside."

"You. Went. For. A. Walk." Jason spat. "Over eight million people in the area think you're a murderer and you just decided to go for a _walk_?"

"Fuck off, I know what I'm doing. Look, I know it was risky, stupid, whatever, but clearly nothing happened to me. I'm fine. You forget I survived on the streets for _weeks._ And why do you care if I go outside anyway, it's my neck on the line."

Jason swallowed a scream. _I care because, for some demented reason, I've developed feelings for you and when I thought you'd left me I didn't know how to handle it and I was ready to crawl through every sewer in New York until I found you because I'm selfish. _

Instead he said, "You think I'm not a part of this? Nico, you're living in my house. I could get in trouble too if you got caught."

_Shit, that came out wrong._

"Well, sorry to inconvenience you," Nico snapped, "Maybe I should just leave for real."

"Oh for Christ's sake, stop being so ridiculous. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. We're friends, Nico. Friends look out for each other. We _are _friends, aren't we? I just—you scared me, all right? Please don't do that again."

"You weren't even supposed to know I was gone," the dark haired boy mumbled, his eyes downcast.

"You haven't done this before, have you?" Jason asked, suddenly horrified. Nico shook his head.

"Damn, I didn't mean to stress you out, okay? I walked by my apartment, I kept my head low, no one saw me. I was going crazy in here all day. Here's your hoodie, by the way," he said, shrugging off his aviator jacket and then unzipping the hoodie and tossing it to Jason. The blond didn't try to catch it.

"What if someone _had _recognized you? You would have been completely fucked!"

"I get it, I get it. Enough with the lectures please."

Jason rubbed his forehead and released an exasperated breath. "Whatever. Have no regard for your own safety. Are you hungry? I bought chicken to make for dinner."

Nico gave a little nod and didn't meet Jason's eyes. Jason wordlessly headed over to the kitchen. He knew he'd probably overreacted, but he couldn't help it. He was angry at Nico for leaving, but he was even angrier at himself for how much he had let it affect him. A horrible panic had stirred up inside of him when he realized the younger boy was gone. And that was certainly not a normal reaction, considering that eleven days ago he'd barely spoken to the boy once in his life He should not have been so terrified by Nico's disappearance and definitely not _so _relieved when he returned safely. Nico was right, it shouldn't have been such a big deal to Jason.

But it was.

…

Jason cooked in silence, awkwardly aware of Nico, who sat on one of the barstools and stared down at a book. Whether or not he was _actually _reading was a gray area.

At first, Jason had just been fine with stewing in silence. After twenty-five minutes, however, the lack of conversation became unbearable.

"So…" Jason attempted, "How are you liking the book?"

Nico glanced up at Jason, presumably trying to gauge his mood. "Uh, it's good. I've never heard of this author."

"Yeah, he hasn't written much," Jason agreed. "But what he has is brilliant." The tension in the room was so thick he could have taken the knife he was using to chop the vegetables and literally cut through it. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes."

"I didn't know you could cook," Nico mutters. "Like, actually cook."

"Yeah, uh, my mom taught me. She use to cook a lot… before…" he didn't finish.

"Speaking of which, where is your mom today?"

Jason shrugged. "She doesn't always come home. Sometimes she stays at some boyfriend's house or something. Honestly, it's easier without her here. Although I do worry about anything bad happening to her."

There was another heavy moment of silence. "My mom makes great Italian food. She actually use to have a restaurant in Little Italy back when I was a kid."

"That's pretty awesome," Jason commented. "I love spaghetti."

"Spaghetti is like the hamburger and hotdog of Italian food," Nico scoffed. "There is so much more to offer. You poor deprived soul." Jason looked at Nico sideways and found the smaller boy was smirking. Some of the awkward tension in the room dissipated.

"I'm deprived? You're the one who hasn't read _Game of Thrones!_"

Nico rolled his eyes, but didn't stop smirking. Jason found it hard to maintain his earlier anger when Nico looked _that _damn adorable. Slowly, Jason had been developing an appreciation for all of Nico's little facial expressions.

"Oh, shut up," the dark haired boy said.

For a minute, neither of them said anything. And then, "You know, if I actually had been caught today, I'd never sell you out Jason. I'm not going to let you get in trouble for me."

Jason sighed and turned to Nico. "I know. That's not really why I was upset."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed, "But—"

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. You have the right to do what you want. And uh… if you're unhappy here…"

The younger boy let out a deep breath and closed his book. "Jay, that's not it. I'm probably as happy as I can be here, given the circumstances,"—had Nico given him a nickname?—"but that just doesn't change the fact that I'm in here and my mom's out there. I have to save her, and that's going to risk my safety, so get used to it."

"And I told you I'm here to help," Jason reminded calmly. "Let me."

"I don't get you, Jason. Not one bit."

"We're friends. Well at least, _I _think we're friends. And friends watch each other's backs, right?"

Nico shrugged, "I wouldn't know. I've never really _had _friends before. Bianca," her name came out in a low, unsteady voice, "was my best friend."

"Oh come on, you have friends Nico. What about Percy Jackson? I've seen you talk to him before."

Nico's face reddened. "I doubt he considers me a friend. It's not like we ever really hung out. He was closer with Bianca." Jason sensed a story there and filed the question away for a later date.

"And Hazel Levesque?" He prompted.

"She's my second-cousin. That's about the extent of our relationship."

Jason raised his eyebrows, "You never mentioned any family in the area."

"She's my dad's side of the family. Her parents have always hated me," Nico said matter-of-factly.

"So you haven't tried to get a hold of Hazel then, I'm assuming?"

Nico shook his head. "I doubt she cares if I'm okay one way or another. She probably hates me for what I did to Bianca. Or well, what everyone _thinks _I did."

"How do you know she wouldn't believe you—"

"I just do, okay?" Nico replied sharply. "The point is, I don't have experience with friendships. I'm a really shitty friend."

Jason let the matter drop. "Well, I can't stop you from leaving the apartment, but a note would be nice next time."

"I was planning on getting back before you, anyway. You said you were working till five," Nico mumbled.

"Please just write a note next time," Jason repeated unwaveringly. He wasn't going to lecture Nico for sneaking around and try to keeps secrets. Nope. That was Nico's business and Jason should stay out of it. It didn't bother him that Nico had tried to do it behind his back. Nope. Not at all.

... Okay, maybe it bothered him a little.

…

Returning to the apartment to find Jason there had been a surprise.

Jason's anger had been an even bigger one.

Sure, Nico had expected Jason to disapprove of his little field trip. That was why Nico had gone when Jason was away and would never know about it. But the way Jason seemed personally hurt and offended, like Nico had gone just to cause Jason stress, that was… odd, to say the least.

Nico could certainly acknowledge that returning to his old street had been stupid and risky. But Nico had remained plenty conscious of his surroundings and like always, nobody bothered to give him even a first glance, let alone a second one. Nico wished he could explain that to Jason.

The other side of Nico wondered why he should have to defend or explain himself in the first place. Why did it matter if he did reckless things? Nico was sincere when he told Jason that he would never rat him out, so why did Jason act like it had been his security on the line, and not Nico's, when Nico went out today?

Despite all of his talk of friendship, Jason couldn't actually care about what happened to Nico? Could he?

Hell, why would he?

Nico hadn't exactly been nice to Jason over the course of the last week and a half. He hadn't been a complete asshole either, but he'd been a far cry from pleasant. Nico knew he wasn't a friendly person. Jason was probably days away from getting tired of Nico's moods. Pretty soon, he'd be kicking Nico back into the streets.

Right?

Jason didn't genuinely care about Nico. And this was not a permanent arrangement.

It didn't matter to Nico either way, though.

_Damn liar. You can convince Jason you don't care, but you're never going to convince yourself._

How was it that the prospect of a Jason who cared was equally the most thrilling and terrifying thing Nico could imagine?

"Dinner is ready," Jason announced flatly, glancing sideways at Nico. God, when had his eyes become so marvelously blue?

And why the fuck was Nico using adjectives like marvelous?

_This is such bullshit. _

Nico stood and crossed to where Jason stood at the stove. Grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, _and _Italian bread fresh out of the oven? Was Jason a real teenage boy?

"You weren't kidding about the cooking thing," Nico mumbled. Jason shot him a mischievous grin.

And Nico did _not _think about how hot it looked. No, he definitely did not.

"Just wait till you actually taste it," the blond laughed.

And Nico's mind did _not _drop straight into the gutter. There were no inappropriate thoughts to be had about Jason Grace, the one person who was actually stupid enough to be his friend. Nico may not have had much experience with guys, but he was pretty sure that thinking of them sexually when they were just supposed to be your friends was wrong. _Wrong, wrong, wrong._

They both sat their plates at the bar, and Nico wished—too late—that he had left a buffer seat between him and Jason. In their current position, Nico's arm and Jason's nearly brushed as they moved. The distance between them seemed to buzz with electricity that Nico knew only he felt.

The dark haired boy cut a piece of chicken and placed it in his mouth. "Oh, fuck," he practically moaned.

"Good?" Jason inquired.

Nico nodded. "You sold your soul to the devil, didn't you?"

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you."

Nico rolled his eyes and shook his head. Jason laughed.

"Between my mother and my Aunt Demeter I must admit I am a master chef," he boasted, and Nico just nodded because he was out of snarky remarks and he'd rather say nothing at all than something stupid like: _"Care to teach me a few tricks?"_

They ate quietly.

"Look, how about we just forget about earlier? You shouldn't have left, I shouldn't have yelled at you, whatever. The past is the past. I don't want things to be awkward," Jason blurted.

Nico opened his mouth, prepared to say that yes, he liked that idea very much, when Jason flashed one of those million dollar, heart-stopping smiles.

And then his mouth kind of just hung open awkwardly and DAMN Jason Grace and his stupid smile.

Jason's grin began to wane, "Normally, this is the part where _you'd _say something."

"Oh, right, yeah," Nico sputtered. "I mean, yes. Past is the past. I'd like—that'd be good."

Why why why did Nico have to like this guy so much? Apparently, hearts didn't care how inconvenient the timing was. When they wanted someone, they wanted them _ bad. _

"You know, Nico," the other boy commented, "You're kind of weird."

"Look who's talking," Nico retorted, finally regaining his metaphorical footing.

…

"Nico," Jason asked, as he and the younger boy dried the last of the pans from dinner, "You said your mother used to own a restaurant. What does she do now?"

"She's a stay at home mom," he flinched, "Or, a stay at home wife, I guess."

Jason nodded, "What does your father do for a living?"

Nico dried his pan with more force, eyes downcast. "What happened to the past is the past?" He snapped.

Jason finished his own pan and laid it down beside the sink. "Nico, I'm supposed to be helping you. I can only do that if you let me."

"I don't see how knowing what my father's job is could possibly help you with that."

The question, asked with harmless intentions, suddenly doubled in importance.

Jason placed a hesitant hand on the dark haired boy's arm. "I think the pan is clean, Nico."

Those dark eyes finally looked up, locking on Jason's. The taller boy could feel Nico's stare all the way down to his bones and had to fight to suppress a shudder.

Silence filled the kitchen.

"He's a businessman. I guess. Sales or something. He—he never talked about work around us."

Jason recalled his own father—a chief urban planner working in every major city in the northeast—who had liked to complain about his job every night at dinner. He grumbled so often that sometimes Jason would _dream _that he was his father, busy at work all hours of the day.

The idea that some kids had no idea what their parents did for a living was absolutely insane.

Then again, so was murdering your own daughter.

"Never?" Jason asked, still shocked.

"All he would ever say is that he was in sales. Nothing special. And it doesn't matter anyway. Look, I don't want to talk about him. Drop it."

Jason cringed. He hadn't meant to upset Nico. "Sorry. I know it's hard to talk about. Let's just… watch a movie or something, okay?"

Nico sighed, and then, after what felt like a lifetime, managed a small smirk. "What, you wouldn't rather read?"

Jason chuckled and, at least for the time being, things between them were okay.

…

Nico couldn't fall asleep. He tossed and turned on the floor as two turned to three and three turned to four, his mind racing with a million different issues.

Jason, who had been asleep for hours, could be blamed for at least half of them. Why did he keep trying to be so helpful? Didn't he realize that he was literally the only significant person in Nico's life that was safe from his father? Jason Grace could come out of this unscathed if he just left well enough alone. No matter how much Nico could use his help, it wasn't worth Jason's life. He had a future, and a bright one at that. He could go to Stanford and get a premium education and be with his sister and fall in love with a nice girl—or, if what Leo said earlier meant anything, a nice boy, but Nico didn't want to think about that. He could go on to live a long and meaningful life.

So why was he doing this? Why would he risk all of that for Nico's sake?

And, more importantly, what was Nico supposed to do about it?

Nico wanted to save his mother, he wanted to save her and go far away where his father would never find him.

But he wasn't going to kill Jason to do it.

That left two options. Leave. Do exactly what he had considered earlier and never come back. Forget that Jason Grace ever existed and forget how he made Nico feel. Forget all of it.

Or stay, build up his strength, form a solid plan from the relative safety of Jason's apartment, and try, _try _with all of his might to ignore his attraction. Mute the issue with his mother in hopes that the blond boy would do the same.

The problem was that Nico couldn't tell what the right choice was in this situation. His head told him to choose the former. Never see Jason again. Stop himself from developing permanent attachments to a transient person. But his heart—his heart screamed out in favor of the latter.

It… it wouldn't hurt if he stayed just a little longer, right? Just to figure out how to reach his mother. Nothing more. That couldn't hurt much in the long run, could it? Just for a few more weeks?

A few more weeks and then he swore he would leave.

_Just hold on a little longer, Mom. I haven't forgotten you._


	6. Things Get More Complicated

_A/N: I meant to get this to you guys way earlier but then ended up having last minute plans. Oh well, better late than never right? I think you will all really enjoy this chapter. It's the most excited I've been about an update since the very first chapter._

* * *

**CH. 6—Things Get More Complicated (Don't They Always?)**

So call Nico overly optimistic or something, but he had actually thought that his nightmares were going away. For the most part, he hadn't had any of the dreams since moving in to Jason's—he hated to think of it as moving in, but after being there for over two weeks it was beginning to seem that way—save for the occasional nightmare. And he'd been able to hide those from his roommate. Those were just little nightmares. Nico would get a low test grade and his father would punch him a few times, the muggers from the street would find him and this time they would use a knife. But Nico knew those weren't real. He'd gasp awake in the night and often find his face wet with tears. Those, at least, were manageable nightmares.

But then, only three days after his little field trip to his old apartment, Nico was rocked with the most terrible nightmare he'd had in weeks.

It started off like many of his dreams. Hades, his father, screamed at him about something—It didn't even matter what, everything set him off—and started to beat him. He shoved Nico to the ground, his head hitting the linoleum with a terrible cracking sound. Nico tried to stand, to get away, but then Hades started to kick him, over and over and over in the stomach. Nico couldn't breathe. Spots danced across his vision. Pain overwhelmed him as Nico felt what must have been one of his ribs cracking under the strength of Hades' kicks.

Yes, the beginning of an average nightmare. (Or a real-life Thursday afternoon, if his father was in the mood.)

Then things took a turn for the worse.

"Stop!" A girl screamed. Nico's chest tightened with a new pain. _Bianca._

Hades turned to the sound, momentarily forgetting about Nico. Bianca lunged to attack her father, but Hades only grabbed her by the hair and yanked hard, slamming her head against the countertop. And then again. And again. Agonized screams tore out of Bianca's throat.

"No! Stop it! You'll kill her!" Nico screeched, trying in vain to draw his farther away from Bianca. Hades, much larger than his son, kicked him to the side.

"Then she won't have to live to see what a little faggot you are," Hades snarled. He slammed Bianca's head down again, and she stopped screaming. Then he released her and let the girl drop to the floor.

But when Nico looked down, it wasn't his sister's dead body that he saw.

It was his his mother's.

"You're going to kill her, too, Nicky," Hades said in a low, sickly amused voice, "You're going to kill them all."

…

Jason jolted awake to the sound of someone screaming.

For a moment he was horribly confused, until he realized the sound was coming from the other person in the room. Nico.

He practically fell out of his bed to get to the other boy, who was thrashing wildly and screaming. Hopefully Jason's mom wasn't home yet.

"Nico. Nico, wake up!" Jason urged as gently as he could, grabbing the sleeping boy by his shoulders and just barely shaking him. When that seemed to have little effect, he shook the boy harder. "Nico, you're dreaming."

Nico's eyes flew open. He shot up so quickly that his forehead banged against the blond's nose, eliciting a surprised yelp from the older boy. He moved back, rubbing his nose, and examined the horror-stricken face of Nico di Angelo. Even through the darkness he could see the terror in his roommate's eyes and a face wet with tears.

"I—I'm sorry I woke you," Nico mumbled, looking down. Jason leaned forward, cupping Nico's cheek in his hand and rubbing the tears away without even thinking of it. The other boy stiffened briefly before seeming to soften, almost curling in to Jason's touch.

"Don't apologize. Bad dreams, I get it. You want to talk about it?"

"Not really," whispered Nico, suddenly shoving away from Jason. "You can go back to sleep, seriously." He tried to mask the quiver in his voice.

"What about you?" Jason asked.

"I'm fine. Stop worrying."

"Well, I'm pretty much awake now. If you're awake," Jason shrugged. "And I know you're not fine," he added in a softer voice, "You don't need to pretend that you are."

"No," the other boy growled, though Jason noticed the unsteadiness in his voice. Nico wouldn't meet his eyes. "You don't get it."

"Hmm?"

"Bad dreams," Nico mumbled. "You can't even begin to understand. When you wake up, your nightmare is over and you can rest knowing it was just a really horrible dream. When I wake up Bianca is still dead and my mom is still in danger and I'm still this helpless little—" a new wave of tears stopped Nico short. He choked back a sob.

"Shh, it's okay. Breathe," Jason whispered, once again reaching for the other boy. His hands came down on Nico's shoulders. He immediately tried to break away, but Jason wouldn't release him.

"Let go of me, damn it!" Nico grumbled. Jason didn't obey.

"Look, Nico, I told you I'm going to help you save your mom and I meant it. But it's pretty hard for me to do anything with you pushing me away all the time. You don't have to go through this alone." Nico slumped forward and sighed in defeat.

"Alone is the only way I know."

"Not anymore," Jason breathed, his voice barely a whisper. Nico's eyes met Jason's in the darkness, studying him, almost. Then, surprising both Nico and himself, Jason pulled the dark haired boy toward him and enveloped him in a hug.

At first, Nico was stiff and unmoving, his arms awkward at his sides, almost as if he didn't know what to do with them. Then, after a moment, as Jason began to pull away, Nico flung his arms around Jason and hugged him with a kind of force Jason had never felt the other boy use.

Jason returned the embrace, rubbing his hands up and down on Nico's back and making small soothing noises. Nico had his face buried in the crook of Jason's neck and the blond could feel the tears soaking through his shirt, but didn't dare say anything. He had never seen this vulnerable side of Nico before, and part of Jason wondered if he would ever see it again.

"I'm scared Jason," Nico admitted, pulling away from Jason's neck slightly. "I—I hate feeling this way, but I can't stop it. How am I going to save my mother? My dad never lets her out of his sight. And I—I could go to prison. I don't want to go to prison. How can I help her if I'm in prison and what if it's Bianca all over again and—" He abruptly stopped talking, drawing back and staring at me with teary eyes.

"Well, I sound pitiful. You still sure you want to get mixed up in my problems?" Nico asked hesitantly, attempting to sound light and joking but coming across as genuinely concerned.

"Nico, I'm not changing my mind. And you aren't pitiful. Crying, being afraid, that just makes you human. I'm not going to abandon you for being human."

Nico looked like he maybe wanted to hug Jason again, but he didn't, so Jason just pulled the smaller boy back into his arms and ran his hands through that silky dark hair he always found himself staring at.

Okay, Jason needed to get a grip.

He was supposed to be comforting Nico, not thinking about his hair. Or their bodies pressed so tightly together. Or how easy it would be to lower his lips to Nico's and—

_Damn it. Control yourself, Jason! _

After a few seconds Nico awkwardly broke away from Jason and let out a long, exasperated breath. Jason studied his face in the darkness, wondering if the last hug had been a step too far for the dark haired boy.

But then Nico just laid back down and stared almost dreamily up at the ceiling. "Tell me a story about you."

"Hmm?" Jason inquired, his eyes following Nico's every movement.

"I'm tired of talking about me. I've told enough sad Nico stories to last a lifetime. I don't want to think about that right now. If I think about my family, I'm going to go insane. And, well, I don't actually know much about you Jason. And I'm sure there's more to Jason Grace than his probably vanilla but possibly secretly kinky book collection."

Jason smiled into the darkness, moving to lie beside Nico on the floor. The blankets made it bearable, but Jason absently wondered if Nico was getting sick of sleeping on the ground. "Well, I must warn you, my stories aren't awfully exciting. I've never saved the city from mutants or disabled a bomb or made any great scientific discoveries."

"Well damn, you can just forget it then," Nico teased. Despite his lighter tone, Jason knew Nico wasn't okay. Not really. Jason's tear stained shirt and Nico's still uneven breathing said otherwise.

"I don't know what story to tell," Jason admitted.

"How did you get that scar on your lip?" Nico prompted.

Jason chuckled at the question and launched into the epic story of two-year old Jason and the stapler. He didn't actually remember this day. Didn't remember what had possessed him to try and eat a stapler. Didn't remember the pain when he accidently sent a staple through his lip. However, despite this lack of memory, Thalia had told this story at least a thousand times. As Jason relayed it to Nico, he tried to tell it like Thalia had once told him, with humor and drama and the valiant Thalia Grace swooping in and saving the day (i.e. calling for their parents).

Although Jason lacked Thalia's particular story telling gift, he did manage to make Nico laugh, even if just for a moment. Jason considered that a success.

"Your sister sounds cool," the sixteen year old commented.

"Oh yeah, she's great. I mean, things really fell apart with Mom after Dad died, with my mom and all. But Thalia stayed strong. She was only a senior in high school the same age I am now, and she was looking after me and trying to look after Mom, although she was already hopeless by then. Thalia graduated that year though. And then, you know, Stanford and all. It sucks not having her around."

"Family," Nico sighed.

"I feel pretty shitty complaining. You know, considering…" Jason trailed off.

"Now I know that is not your pity voice, Jason Grace."

Jason bit his lip. He'd never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his entire life.

Nico, with a pensive look on his face, sat up and fixed his eyes on Jason.

"Can I, uh, ask you something? It's a little… random."

"Sure," Jason replied without thinking.

"Remember last week when Leo showed up and you shoved me in your closet?"

"Yeah, I remember." Of course he remembered forcing the gay kid into the closet. Not exactly his shining moment.

"Well, I heard you and Leo talking, just joking around or whatever and…" Nico paused. "He was teasing you... about all of the cute _guys _at the party. And…" He never finished. _Shit. _Jason had hugged Nico and less than ten minutes later he was asking about Jason's sexuality. He probably thought that Jason was some creepy gay who wanted to lure unsuspecting younger and emotionally distressed boys into his bed. The worst part was that the idea did hold some truth. Jason _was _gay, and he wouldn't _exactly _mind Nico in his bed and…

_Stop. Stop. STOP._

Jason sat up as well. "I, uh, wondered if maybe you were curious about that. And I kept thinking of bringing it up, but how _does _one bring it up? Like, you're gay? That's funny, me too. And I hope it doesn't make you feel weird or anything because like, just because I'm gay and you're gay doesn't mean—" What was Jason even saying? "I just mean that I didn't have some ulterior motive for letting you stay here and—"

"Talking is easier when you breathe, you know," Nico smirked.

"Don't be mad at me!" Jason blurted.

Nico gave him a puzzled look. "I'm not mad. That would be a pretty stupid thing to be mad about. And I know you're not, uh, I know that you don't want to—uh, with me. I mean, just because we're both… gay, that doesn't change anything."

"Exactly," Jason agreed, lying his ass off. It meant a million things. It meant that Jason was attracted to a gay guy, _more _than attracted if he was being honest, and that it didn't matter because even though Nico _was _gay he had just declared—or, sort of declared—his trust in Jason that there was nothing more than friendly going on.

So basically, Jason was totally fucked.

…

After that, they laid back down and stared at the dark ceiling and talked about everything from Jason's childhood to his job at Delphi to the time that he and Leo had accidently set fire to Leo's kitchen. It was nice, Nico mused, to learn these things about Jason. These happy, stupid, yet interesting stories about his life.

Unfortunately, these little stories could not distract Nico from the electricity dancing across his skin at being so close to Jason. It couldn't distract from Jason's body heat moving in to Nico's bones. It couldn't distract from the way that accidental second long brushes against Jason sat with Nico for hours. And it couldn't distract, even for a moment, from the revelation glaring Nico right in the face.

This boy, this blond, tall, gorgeous, generous, intelligent, compassionate, blue-eyed boy, was gay.

Jason Grace was gay and it didn't matter because, gay or not, he existed so far out of Nico's league that he resided in a different universe. The second Nico had questioned his sexuality, Jason wasted no time setting it straight (no pun intended) that his gayness did not mean he had feelings for Nico. For a panicked moment, Nico thought that Jason suspected Nico's feelings, and he'd had to quickly save himself from complete rejection.

It shouldn't have mattered so much. Even if Jason wasn't light-years out of Nico's league, there was still the glaring fact that Nico and _any_one wouldn't work. He couldn't let himself feel those feelings, because someone else would get injured. Someone else _always_ got injured. Nico was poison. Like King Midas of Greek Mythology, except everything he touched turn to ash, not gold.

Everything he cared about got ruined beyond repair.

Nico thought of Luke, and shook the thought away quickly. He'd sworn to himself a long time ago to never think of Luke. Of what had happened to the beautiful Luke Castellan because he'd taken notice of foolish, fourteen year old Nico.

When Nico had told Jason about getting caught kissing Luke, he hadn't been entirely truthful. He wondered what Jason would think of him if he knew the whole truth. Would he still want to hug and comfort Nico and be his friend? The thought made Nico shudder.

"You cold?" Jason whispered, turning on his side to examine Nico.

"No," Nico replied. Jason's eyes shone even in the darkness, so intense and blue that Nico felt like he was drowning in their depths. Jason wiggled closer to him, leaving maybe half a foot between the boys. They were so close now that Nico could feel Jason's breath on his face.

Their eyes locked, and for one insane moment, Nico thought they were going to kiss. Then the tension broke and Jason rolled on to his back once again.

"You should try to sleep."

"So should you," Nico murmured.

"Not until you do."

"Then you're going to be up all night."

"I'm lying here with you until you fall asleep," Jason informed him.

"That's stupid," Nico mumbled. Maybe he _did _feel a little sleepy with the comfort of Jason's presence sinking into his bones.

"Shh, sleep."

"I'm not tired," Nico said, which would have sounded credible if he didn't yawn halfway through.

"Sure you aren't. How about I tell you a story about the time Thalia tried to glue me to the wall."

Nico was sure it was an awesome story, but Jason's voice, so smooth and low, was lulling him right to sleep. Nico wondered if maybe that had been Jason's intention all along, and then the darkness took him.

He dreamed of cuddling with Jason.

…

Jason hadn't _intended _to fall asleep on the floor with Nico. At least, that's what he told himself when his alarm suddenly jolted him awake the next morning and Jason found himself on his stomach cozied up _very _close to Nico with an arm slung over the dark haired boy's chest. Nico's eyes shot open as well. "What the—" he exclaimed, tearing away from Jason between one breath and the next.

Shit. Had Jason and Nico been _cuddling? _What was Jason thinking? He should have never let himself fall asleep on the floor like that. How was he going to fix this one?

"It would appear that I fell asleep on the floor," Jason commented when he could apparently think of nothing else to say.

He thought Nico would comment on the snuggling incident, but judging by the blush on his face, Jason guessed Nico was not up for discussing it. "What happened to Mr. 'I won't sleep until you do' or whatever?" The younger boy teased instead.

"Well, I didn't fall asleep until you were snoring."

"I don't snore!" Nico protested, his face flaring a whole new shade of red that Jason found wildly appealing.

"Whatever you say," Jason chuckled. And then it happened again, just like the previous night. The boys' eyes met, everything stilled. Nico's lips caught Jason's attention briefly. He was biting it again, probably without even noticing. And for one second, only a second, Jason thought about leaning over and kissing Nico. God, how he wanted to.

The moment shattered, Nico looked away from Jason, shoulders tense. Jason let out a breath. He was completely losing his shit over this guy. He needed to get control of his feelings. And also, a cold shower. Yeah, one of those would be great.

"I guess I need to get ready for school, or whatever," Jason announced, awkwardly standing and escaping to his bathroom.

…

In the days following Nico's nightmare, there had been a strange atmosphere between him and Jason. And it could have been for any number of reasons.

Nico had completely embarrassed himself, crying all over Jason's shirt. It wouldn't be surprising if Jason didn't look at Nico the same way now. Sure, Jason said it didn't matter, but weren't friends _supposed _to say that? Then, of course, there had been the falling asleep incident on the floor. Nico had woken up cuddled against Jason's side, which was mortifying to say the least. They hadn't really talked about it, because why bother, right? They couldn't control what their bodies did while they were sleeping. Except, Nico dreamed of cuddling Jason that night and then woke up actually cuddling him. Had Nico maneuvered himself under Jason's arm and against Jason's side while the two were asleep without even noticing it? Regardless, Jason seemed willing to ignore it, because, of course, he'd made it clear that he had no romantic interest in Nico.

Which brought Nico to reason number three for all of the newfound awkwardness. Jason Grace was gay. Yes, Nico may have suspected it before, after the Leo thing, but actually hearing Jason admit to it was a whole other animal. Here Nico was, trying very hard to not fall for this amazing guy, a battle which Nico had already been losing, and then Jason just had to go and be gay on top of that.

The days were more or less the same. Jason slept in his own bed—thank God—and went to school and to work and Nico would stay in his room and read whatever books Jason would recommend and try not to think about Jason or Luke or Bianca or his parents or anything other than the book on his lap. When Jason returned to the apartment he would work on homework and Nico would try not to openly stare at him while he worked. Mrs. Grace at some point would leave to go God only knew where, and then Nico would be free to move around the apartment, which was a nice break from being in such close proximity to Jason. Then Jason would cook dinner or order food and that would be that. Their conversations were awkward, a little more formal than they had been previously. Nowhere near as personal as they had been the night of Nico's nightmare.

At least the nightmares had calmed back down to their usual horror of beatings and abuse. Until Thursday.

In the dream, Nico and Bianca were alone in their family's apartment. Bianca was clothed in her favorite silver jacket—the same one that she died in, which Nico may have realized if he had immediately been aware he was dreaming, which he wasn't—and they were just sitting in the living room and laughing.

It felt great to laugh with Bianca. Sometimes Nico felt like she was the only person that he could be truly happy around. And he was as happy as he was capable of being that night, playing board games with his sister and patting her on the head when she accused him of cheating.

"There is no way you won _again, _Nicky! That's not possible!"

"Oh, sister, did you ever consider that you just aren't very good at Snakes and Ladders?" Nico teased.

"There's nothing to _be _good at. The whole game is luck!"

"Whatever you say, Bi."

"You're lucky I love you, little brother." Bianca said, shaking her head and grinning.

And then the knife appeared in Nico's hand.

"Nico, where'd you get that?" She whispered, eyes widening in fear.

But Nico couldn't hear her. Or rather, he chose not to hear her. Instead, he closed his fingers around the handle with a smile.

"Nico?" Bianca breathed, her voice thin and afraid. "Nicky?"

Nico thrust the knife into her chest. He didn't flinch. He didn't hesitate. He just stabbed her. And he was in complete control.

He yanked back the blade and watched as his sister crumpled to the floor. As she died, the words of Nico's father rattled around in his skull. _That's what happens when you love someone too much. You love them until there's nothing left of them to care about. Just a bloody corpse._

And then, finally realizing what he had done, Nico fell on top of his sister and began to scream.

…

Jason was awoken in the middle of the night, not for the first time, by the sound of Nico screaming.

Without thinking, Jason flung himself from the bed and kneeled beside the terrified teenager. "Wake up Nico, wake up," he urged, shaking the boy gently. "Wake up, you're safe."

He switched the lamp on. "Wake up!" He repeated.

Nico's eyes flew open and the boy shot up so quickly his head nearly collided with Jason's, like it had after his last nightmare. His breathing was ragged and he had a hand clutching at his hair. Jason noticed tears in the corner of Nico's eyes.

"Sorry, bad dream," Nico gasped after a few seconds.

Jason wanted to point out that something that made you scream like that was more than just a bad dream, but Nico didn't seem like he wanted to hear it. "What did I tell you about apologizing?" He sighed.

"You should go back to sleep. You have school in the morning."

Jason did look at the clock then. Three in the morning. "I got four hours, I'm fine. If you're not going to sleep, I'm not either. Are _you _going back to sleep?"

Nico shook his head.

Jason stood up. "Then it's settled. Now follow me," he offered a hand to Nico.

"Where are you going?" Nico asked, looking skeptically at Jason's waiting hand.

"To make hot chocolate. It makes everything better."

Nico gave what almost passed for a smile and accepted Jason's offer. Nico's hand was cold but soft, and Jason may have held on for a second too long once the other boy was standing. Nico, noticing this, reddened and tore his hand away, looking anywhere but at Jason.

And, not for the first time over the past several days, Jason wondered if maybe Nico liked him more than he was letting on.

…

"She's not here," Jason announced after checking his mother's bedroom. He hadn't actually expected her to be, but had checked nonetheless. The last thing he needed was his drunken mother waltzing out of her bedroom in the middle of the night to find a strange teenage boy drinking hot chocolate in the kitchen with her son.

"Okay," Nico said from the kitchen table. His entire body was tense, like he hadn't really shaken off the feeling of his nightmare yet. Jason wanted to ask about it, but knew that Nico wouldn't answer. If he wanted to talk about it, then he would.

Nico di Angelo was not much for sharing.

"So, I'm guessing you are also a master hot chocolate chef?" Nico asked, standing and crossing to where Jason currently stood in the middle of the kitchen.

Jason smiled at him, "I guess you could say that. The powder I use is where the magic really comes from though, not me."

"Uh huh," Nico gave a half-hearted smirk. Neither of them said anything as Jason set a pot of water to boil and fished the glass jar full of chocolate powder out of one of the cabinets.

"So, you're not going to ask?" Nico inquired as Jason finished. "What happened to curious Jason?"

He didn't need to ask what Nico was referring to. "I figured you wanted to keep it to yourself."

Another pause in conversation. And then, "It was Bianca's death, but it wasn't. In the dream it was—I was the one who stabbed her."

Jason turned to look at Nico, who hung his head in shame. He couldn't see the boy's face, just a mess of dark hair.

"Oh, Nico," Jason's sighed sadly.

"Don't. I know I didn't really kill her. But it felt so real…"

When the kettle started to whistle, Jason poured the steaming water in to two cups and stirred in the powder. Then, while it cooled, Jason retrieved the whipped cream and mini-marshmallows.

"You're going all out," Nico commented.

"Were you expecting anything less?" Jason replied with a smirk.

"Don't get cocky, I haven't tried it yet." In response, Jason held up a cup for Nico.

Nico raised an eyebrow and accepted the mug, placing both hands on it. "It's hot," he said.

"Cups of steaming liquid usually are," Jason joked, picking up his own mug.

"Shut up," Nico mumbled, lifting the cup to his mouth and blowing on the beverage inside. And Jason _totally _didn't watch him do it because that would be creepy and Jason wasn't thinking about his huge crush on Nico while Nico did something as innocent as blowing on a hot drink. He wasn't.

Jason leaned in expectantly as Nico brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. His eyes widened, "Shit, this _is _good."

"I mean, it doesn't scare away the nightmares or anything, but it's pretty good at cheering people up," Jason offered, leaning back against the counter and watching Nico drink. When he realized that staring probably made him creepy, he reached for his own cup.

The boys sat down at the kitchen table, joking lightly while drinking their beverages. Jason even earned a few smiles from the other boy, which made him feel even warmer than the cocoa.

"When you were a kid, what did you want to be?" Jason prompted.

"What did _you _want to be?" Nico questioned.

"Nope, I asked first."

"Mine is pretty lame…"

Jason leaned forward, sitting his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his hands. "Now you _have _to tell me."

"Uh, I wanted to be Wolverine… from X-Men. Or Gandalf from Lord of the Rings."

Jason laughed. "I don't know which one to ask about first."

"Shut up. They were both badass and you know it." Nico had started blushing again. That was one thing that continued to surprise Jason—how easy it was for Nico's face to flush red.

"Were? They still are."

"And what did you want to be?" Nico inclined an eyebrow.

"I wanted to be a zombie-slaying rocket scientist. Don't ask, I was six and ambitious."

"And what about now? Now what do you want to do?"

_Kiss you, _Jason almost said. Instead he just nodded at Nico's cup and rose to his feet. "You finished?"

Nico glanced down at the cup. "Yeah."

Jason bent to retrieve it, getting distracted along the way at the sight of some whipped cream resting unnoticed by Nico above his lip. Without thinking about it, Jason swiped his finger across the skin, cleaning off the cream. He brought the finger to his lips and licked it away.

"You had whipped cream on your face," he mumbled as an excuse.

Nico glanced up at Jason, and it happened again. The moment of eye contact. The strange electric feeling in the air. Jason was still bent slightly, his face less than a foot from Nico's. He waited for Nico to look away, but those dark eyes didn't wander. Jason fought back a shudder.

And even though there were a million and ten warning bells going off in Jason's mind, he couldn't hear them anymore. Slowly, giving the other boy plenty of time to stop him, or turn away, or breathe a single word of protest, Jason leaned in further, until his lips connected with Nico's.

Nico, perhaps too surprised to react, stayed still as Jason pressed their mouths together. A chaste kiss. A gentle movement of lips against each other. Jason's hand rested softly on Nico's cheek. His lips were warm, soft, and tasted of hot chocolate. The kiss may have been simple and small, but Jason was in heaven. How many times had he dreamed of doing this over the past two weeks? And then, not wanting to completely send the boy into shock, Jason pulled away several inches, probably smiling like an idiot.

"That," he explained softly, biting his lip and looking down at Nico, who stared up at him in utter confusion. "That was what I wanted to do."

"Oh," Nico whispered, so low that Jason could barely hear. _"Oh."_

Based off of the color of his face and the lack of yelling, Jason knew he'd been right. This thing, whatever it was… Nico felt it, too.

He was back to worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, and Jason couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if those were _his _teeth tugging on Nico's lips. Those lips that had just been pressed against Jason's.

Jason needed to kiss him again. Nico was too alluring for his own good, with the face flushing and the lip chewing and the nervous look he was now giving Jason.

"I, uh…" Nico started. And then just, "Oh." Jason wondered if Nico could process any other words in his mind. Apparently, he'd never in a thousand years expected Jason to kiss him. Even though Jason felt like he'd been fairly obvious, especially as of late.

Then, unable to help himself, Jason leaned in closer, so much that his lips were practically brushing over Nico's skin as he whispered, "I'm going to kiss you again, okay?" He waited patiently for a second. The last thing Jason wanted to do was freak Nico out.

And then Nico let out a short, uneven breath, and Jason closed the gap between their mouths.

…

Nico was half convinced he was still asleep. Why else would Jason Grace be kissing him? Running his fingers through Nico's dark hair. Holding him close. Moving his lips against Nico's like Nico was some particularly precious treasure.

It just didn't make sense.

And Nico was lost—drowning in the best kind of way, clinging to Jason like he was the only thing keeping Nico afloat.

Yes, whether or not he wanted to admit it, Nico had _definitely _imagined kissing Jason before. And it was nothing like this. Nico actually doubted his mind could be generating this. Nico couldn't be nearly this creative.

But he _had _to be dreaming. That was the only way he could explain Jason kissing him.

And then Jason Grace opened his mouth, and Nico didn't care anymore whether he was dreaming or not.

_Holy shit._

Jason's tongue slid over Nico's lips, eliciting a small gasp from the younger boy. Jason did it again. This time, Nico parted his lips for Jason, allowing the kiss to deepen.

The chaste kissing had ended, right along with Nico's ability to form a coherent thought.

_This _was kissing. Sure, Nico and Luke had been hot and heavy back in the day, with the roaming hands and the curious tongues, but kissing Jason was a completely different thing. Nico felt weightless and impossibly heavy at the same time. He wasn't sure where to put his hands, he wanted them _everywhere. _Jason's hair, Jason's neck, Jason's arms. Nico wanted to touch it all.

Jason's hands found their way to Nico's waist, and now the blond was tugging him up from his chair and straight into Jason's embrace. Nico couldn't remember feeling that short beside Jason, but he noticed it now. Nico was just around five feet seven inches, and Jason easily had six inches on him. Easily.

That didn't seem to deter the taller boy though, who was eagerly bending over Nico and exploring his mouth. Nico had settled for curling his fists into Jason's t-shirt and standing on his toes which was fine until somehow they bumped the table and Nico's empty mug fell to its death, shattering over the kitchen floor.

Nico and Jason both looked down at the broken pieces and to Nico's surprise, Jason actually laughed.

"Well, oops," he mumbled, leaning in and recapturing Nico's lips.

"Shouldn't we um, clean that?" Nico asked, pulling away.

"We will… later," Jason assured, bringing Nico flush against him and kissing him again and again and again.

Nico smiled suddenly. Jason cared more about making out than cleaning potentially dangerous broken glass. Hell, if this had been Nico's old apartment, his father would have—

His father.

It was then that he realized that he was actually, truly awake.

This definitely wasn't a dream.

He was definitely kissing Jason.

And that was _definitely _a problem.

* * *

_A/N: Hmmmm what a fun place to leave you, yes? I guess you'll have to wait to see what happens! *evil laughter* Review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! I'd love to hear from you._

_Also, if you're looking for something Jasico to read to pass the time between now and next Friday, Never Let Me Go by XTheSonofHadesX is GREAT. _

_See you next Friday!_


	7. Everyone Makes Mistakes

_A/N: I meant to update this earlier but got caught up with adding stuff. I wrote this chapter 4 months ago and realized some stuff I'd written here didn't really fit with the characters so it had to be fixed. That being said, here it is! Better late than never. I'd also like to take a moment to say that no matter what happens in Blood of Olympus (WHICH COMES OUT TUESDAY OH MY GODS) I will not stop writing this story._

* * *

**CH. 7—Everyone Makes Mistakes (The Question Is **_**When**_**)**

Jason was in the middle of wondering if if life could get any better than making out with Nico when the kiss suddenly broke—Nico's arms shoving them apart.

"We should stop," the younger boy blurted, not meeting Jason's eyes.

Jason struggled not to look like a wounded puppy. "We should?" He attempted light humor. No luck. Was Jason a bad kisser? Was Nico not into it at all? He'd _acted _into it just a minute ago.

"I'm tired," Nico stated, but he didn't _look _tired. Not the kind of tired that could be fixed by sleep, anyway. "And we should clean up the mug…"

"We should talk about what just happened," Jason said, still trying to process it himself.

"In the morning, okay? I'm just tired. And I need to think."

Jason wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but nonetheless conceded, "Yeah, okay. In the morning. I'll clean, you go sleep."

…

Nico had no intention of talking about it in the morning.

Or ever, for that matter.

He laid on the floor for over an hour and waited to be sure Jason was asleep, all the while beating himself up over what had transpired.

How the hell had all this happened? Jason wasn't supposed to reciprocate Nico's feelings. Out of all the outcomes Nico could have anticipated, Jason initiating a kiss with Nico certainly wasn't one of them. What could Jason have even seen in Nico? Nothing. Nothing other than convenience. That was the only reasonable explanation, right? Nico was right there, he slept in Jason's room, he was gay. Jason must have just seen Nico as easy. He _must _have. And hadn't Nico just proved that to be true? He hadn't had a single problem with throwing himself at Jason. Oh wow, how fucking stupid could Nico be?

There was no way, no way in hell, heaven, or earth, that Jason _actually _had feelings for Nico. Luke—Luke had been unlikely enough, a miracle even, and what were the odds of another one of those? Zero, that's what.

Guys like _that _didn't just go after guys like Nico.

And if they did, well…

_Poor Luke._

Nico could never let anything like that ever happen again. And not to Jason. Especially not to Jason.

Jason, who had shown Nico kindness when no one else would. Who had trusted and believed in Nico wholeheartedly from the night he found him. Who had allowed Nico to stay in his home.

And it didn't even matter anymore.

Because Nico had to leave.

Staying was a mistake. Nico had known it all along. Known he couldn't stay. And yet, he'd allowed himself to get comfortable here. He'd tricked himself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, things could turn around for him. That he had a friend in Jason.

And then his feelings crept in and fucked everything up.

Didn't they always?

When Jason had been sleeping for probably half an hour or so, Nico rose from his makeshift bed on the floor.

The talk with Jason in the morning was never going to happen because Nico would be gone before Jason woke up.

His old aviator jacket, the only piece of clothing Nico had ever cared about, rested on Jason's desk chair. Nico hadn't had much use for it while staying here, save for the one field trip last week, but he would need it now. Late February in New York could be freezing during the night. Hell, Nico of all people knew how cold it could get out there.

Nico also exchanged the clothing he'd been wearing—the basketball shorts he slept in that had at some point belonged to Leo and one of the black t-shirts purchased by Jason—for the clothes he'd arrived in. Jason had washed the clothes at least, so the dirt that previously marred the black denim and the shirt was now gone. Nico shoved his hand into his jacket pocket, his fingers ghosting over the worn leather bracelet given to him by his grandfather on his mother's side. Nico appreciated the gift, even if the bracelet was too big for his wrist, and always kept it close by. It was all he had left of him, after all.

Taking a deep breath, Nico's eyes fell on Jason, fast asleep in his bed. Despair waged a war inside of his chest. For the best or not, Nico was going to miss Jason. A lot. More than he'd like to think about.

He'd miss the teasing. The companionship. The comfort. He'd miss the way Jason's eyes lit up when he talked about books. He'd miss Jason's smile, with the little scar above his lip serving as the only imperfection on his face.

He'd miss Jason's _cooking._

God, he wasn't even going to _think _about the kiss. The fucking amazing kiss.

And wow, did Nico ever feel like an asshole. Because here he was, about to duck out without even thanking Jason one last time for all that he'd done… all the risks he had taken for Nico. But this was the way it should be.

It was easier for both of them this way.

_Easier for Jason? Or just you?_ A persistent annoying little voice in Nico's mind asked.

Unwilling to entertain the thought, Nico turned and left the room. He would just walk out, simple as ripping off a band-aid.

He crept down the hall. Still no sign that Mrs. Grace had returned home, and the sun would be rising soon. _Poor Jason. _

Much to his frustration, Nico hesitated at the door.

Where would he go? How was he going to get to his mother? What was his plan?

_Figure it out later, Nico, _he chastised.

Maybe he could start with trying to find Tyson. Tyson was okay company, if not a little slow. It was a start, at least.

He opened the door.

"Nico?" A voice behind him asked groggily. Jason.

_Damn it._

…

Jason had never been a deep sleeper. Whenever Leo would spend the night, Jason would always yell at him every time the other boy so much as wiggled his toes.

So, of course, the sound of feet moving across his bedroom floor and the slightest squeaking of his bedroom door roused him. Jason opened his eyes to find an empty bedroom. He tried not to assume the worst.

_Maybe Nico's just getting a glass of water._

But then Jason noticed that Nico's aviator jacket was also gone.

And panicked.

He rose quickly, wasting no time crossing the room throwing open the same door he'd just heard creaking. Jason made his way down the hall, the pounding of his heart louder than his footsteps.

He stepped into the living room to find Nico opening the apartment door. Jason immediately felt like throwing up.

"Nico?" He asked uncertainly, suddenly wondering if he could be dreaming.

_Please be a dream, _he prayed.

Nico turned around slowly, guilt clear on his face.

"Going somewhere?" Jason asked, feeling his stomach drop to his toes. Yeah, throwing up sounded quite probable.

"I—I was just—"

"Running away?" Jason supplemented.

The hurt and surprise drained right out of him, replaced with a rage Jason hadn't felt so strongly since his father's death. Betrayal.

"You weren't supposed to wake up," Nico sighed, not meeting Jason's eyes. He closed the door gently behind him.

"What is this, Nico? You were just going to leave without saying goodbye? Really?" While they were kissing, call Jason crazy but he had really felt something. He thought Nico felt it too. Apparently all the other boy had felt was a desire to leave.

_That _didn't hurt Jason's confidence or anything…

"Jason, I—"

"Who _does _that? I mean, I know you don't really have much experience with friends, but this is _not _how it works."

Nico cringed. Jason tried not to pity him. "It's time for me to go, Jay. Just let me—"

Jason laughed. "Like hell! Talk about it in the morning? Was ducking out your idea of _talking? _You know what, whatever Nico. I'm sorry that kissing me was _that _terrible."

"Jason, _stop,_" Nico pleaded. "I'm doing what is best."

"That's a lie! You're running away from your problems, that's what you're doing. Running away from anyone who wants to help you, hell anyone who _gives a shit _about you because you're afraid. I'm not going to end up like Bianca, Nico!"

"Jason—"

"Just answer one question, _one question. _Was I wrong in assuming that you wanted to kiss me?"

Nico still wouldn't look at him. "No, you weren't wrong," he mumbled. Then, louder: "But that didn't mean it was a good idea, Jason! This is exactly what I didn't want to happen! It complicates things and now I can't stay here anymore. And I wish I could, I really do. But it's impossible."

Jason started toward Nico, unable to stand back any longer. "Things are already complicated," he said when he was just over a foot away from the other boy.

"You shouldn't have kissed me."

"I wanted to. I like you," Jason admitted, which felt like a massive understatement.

This finally made Nico look at him. "No, you don't. Maybe you think you do, but you don't. And I'm not going to let you put your life at risk because you _think _you have feelings for me." The notion was absolutely ridiculous. _Think_ that he likes Nico? Jason was long past the thinking stage. No, he was crazy about this boy. Absolutely crazy.

"Wanna bet?"

"You'll realize it once I'm gone."

"You're not going anywhere," Jason informed him. And he meant it. He wasn't letting Nico run off because he was afraid of his feelings. Jason already knew what he needed to know. Nico had wanted the kiss too. Nico liked him, at least in some capacity. That was good enough for Jason.

"Come on, Jason. Look at me, then look at you. Once the thrill of hiding me in your room wears off, you'll realize that you're about a zillion miles out of my league and I would honestly rather not sit around and wait for that to happen. Not to mention that the longer I do sit here, the better chance you have of getting discovered by my father."

_Whoa whoa whoa._

_Nico _was out of _Jason's _league?

Jason was boring, vanilla, just like Nico always teased. Nico was a hero, protecting his mother and sister growing up even though he was just a scared kid, making jokes and laughing even after being rocked by tragedy, carrying on so strongly even after the loss of his sister. Why wouldn't Jason lo—_like_ him?

Jason nearly screamed in frustration. "You're being ridiculous."

"You know it's true. Straight… gay… it honestly doesn't make a difference. At the end of the day I'm still going to like you way more than you like me and if I leave now I'll save you the hassle of kicking me out later and maybe even save your life, so you're welcome." Nico went back to looking everywhere except at Jason.

"You're not some burden I'm forced to carry, Nico. Stay, just stay."

Nico is silent for a moment. "I lied to you about Luke."

That took Jason by surprise. "Luke?"

"The boy that my dad caught me kissing. He was like you, sorta. Tall, blond, really likable. A nice guy. When my father saw us he—I told you he beat the shit out of me. And he did, but that isn't the whole truth. I wasn't the one in the hospital. Luke was."

Jason was silent.

"Luke was trying to be brave, I know he was. But my dad just wouldn't stop punching him. He wasn't really trying to punish Luke, he was doing it to hurt me. And then my father took out a pocket knife—I didn't even know he had one—and—" Nico's voice wavered, "he slashed down the side of Luke's face with it. An injury that would never disappear. A scar that Luke has to look at every single day and remember how he got it. The only thing he ever did wrong was like me. Don't you get it, Jason?" His voice was even more desperate. "Nothing good comes from caring about me."

Jason understood. He understood why Nico wanted to run, why he feared getting close to anyone. Nico's life was a never ending circle of pain. He watched people close to him get hurt again and again. And it hurt him. Nico di Angelo was tired of hurting. And he would say almost anything to keep Jason away.

Yes, Jason understood. But that didn't mean he was ready to accept it.

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to Luke. That must have been awful. God, I can't even imagine. I hate your father so much. And no matter what I do, I'm going to see to it that he faces justice. Okay, Nico? He's not going to hurt me, I'm going to hurt _him_."

"You don't know my father."

"I know you, though. And I know that there is no way, absolutely _no _way that I'm letting you walk out that door. Because losing you scares me a lot more than facing your father does." Jason had moved even closer to Nico, placing his hands on the door on either side of the younger boy's head. Nico was trapped between the door and Jason, and Jason wondered how much longer he could go without trying to kiss the dark haired boy again.

"You're so stupid," Nico whispered, "So, so, so incredibly stupid." In spite of his words, he reached up and wound his arms loosely around Jason's neck. "You're not supposed to be okay with all of this."

"All of what?"

"My life. All the shit that happens. But nothing seems to scare you away."

Jason smiled, "Well then I guess you'll just have to accept that I'm not going anywhere." He lowered his face until he and Nico seemed to be sharing breaths. "And neither are you."

"You're going to regret this."

"Oh, I really doubt that." And then Jason closed the gap between their lips.

Jason started the kiss slowly, removing his hands from the door and cupping Nico's face as their mouths moved together.

"Jason," Nico mumbled, either in warning or out of pleasure. It was difficult to tell when muffled by Jason's lips.

"Shh, no more worrying tonight." Jason whispered. "Just you and me."

Nico's traced the shape of Jason's shoulders with shaky, hesitant fingers. "I don't know about this," he whispered.

"Nothing is certain in life, right? We just have to enjoy the time we're given."

"You just won't give up on this, will you?" If Jason didn't know better, he'd almost say Nico was smirking.

"I don't want to. And I think," he added, stealing a quick kiss from the younger boy, "that you don't want to either." Jason's hands slid down Nico's torso, grasping at his narrow hips and pulling their bodies closer.

"Stay," he pleaded softly, letting his forehead rest against Nico's. "Don't leave me."

Nico nodded slightly, his hands suddenly tightening on Jason's shoulders. Between one second and the next, the dark haired boy's hands were on the back of Jason's neck and they were kissing again.

This kiss didn't take nearly as long to escalate as the earlier ones. Nico's hands roamed up into Jason's hair while Jason completely wrapped him into an embrace. Jason swept his tongue across Nico's bottom lip, asking for permission to do what he'd wanted to do since the second they'd stopped earlier. The shorter boy made a whimpering sound and allowed Jason access, his fingers tightening in the blond's hair.

Once, when Jason was a kid, he'd had the brilliant idea of sticking one of his sister's hair pins in a light socket. Predictably, he'd electrocuted himself. Thalia laughed afterwards and started calling him Sparky. Even after all these years, Jason still remembered how it felt to have the electricity coursing through his body. It'd hurt marvelously, but it also made Jason feel alive.

That electricity he felt as a child was nothing compared to kissing Nico, though. This was a different kind of current. A stronger one, and it didn't hurt at all. Quite the opposite.

"Holy shit," Nico breathed against Jason's lips, matching his thoughts exactly. He ran his hands up and down Nico's sides under his jacket, drinking in the feeling of the other boy's body. Then the jacket was being tossed to the side. Jason's hand returned to Nico's sides, holding him like Nico would disappear if Jason released him even for a second.

Jason pushed Nico back against the door, his thumbs grazing the thin stretch of skin peaking out between the top of Nico's jeans and the bottom of his shirt.

"Is—is this okay?" He whispered. Because, of course, somehow Jason had gotten carried away all over again. Nico had that power. Start kissing and BAM! There goes Jason's common sense.

"Mmmhm," Nico hummed, his hands following a path down Jason's back, around to his waist, and up to his shoulders again. "Is this real?" He mumbled, probably more to himself than to Jason, but the blond answered anyway.

"Well, I certainly hope so," he shared, bringing his mouth to Nico's mouth once again. Tongues collided, hands explored, and Jason drifted away to a whole other dimension.

He could barely control himself. The last—and third ever—boy Jason had made out with was Mitchell, Piper's cousin, at some McLean family reunion last summer. It hadn't been serious. None of them had. The first guy was an experiment, the second guy was probably a mistake, and Mitchell, well… he was there. Jason was there. Why not, right?

But this was different. None of them had ever felt like this.

Jason didn't want to stop kissing Nico. He wanted to kiss him until he ran out of breath and then kiss him even longer. And it was crazy. Absolutely fucking crazy. Because who would have ever thought that Nico di Angelo, the quiet creepy kid from school turned suspected murderer, would make Jason feel so incredible?

This sixteen year old, short, skinny, black haired, pale, tired looking boy had Jason right in the palm of his hand. God, those hands. Apparently, whatever qualms Nico had previously had about physical contact with Jason had disappeared. The dark haired boy practically curled into Jason's touch, like a particularly adorable kitten. No, adorable was not the word to describe Nico right now. The kissing, the hands, those little sounds he was making. That was _sexy_. Sexy as hell. And Jason wasn't trying to move so quickly, but the way Nico felt flush against him had the strange ability to make him throw caution to the wind.

Jason was moving into the dangerous territory of getting turned on.

"Wanted to do this… so badly," Jason admitted between kisses. "I like you so much."

"Maybe," Nico mused, his lips brushing Jason's as he spoke, "We should get off of the door."

Jason chuckled. "That might be a good idea." He retrieved Nico's jacket and handed it back to him, stealing another kiss and interlocking their fingers. Nico let him. Without fully releasing him, Jason led Nico back to his—their?—bedroom, planting small kisses on Nico's face the whole way. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to.

Nico was—_Nico. _

And while Jason was fully aware that that made next to no sense, he could describe the boy in no other way. Not just attractive or brave or funny or thoughtful or selfless or any lone quality. Simply, Nico.

Jason opened the bedroom door and eagerly guided the other boy inside. Then Jason pulled Nico close for—no surprise—another deep, lingering kiss. They moved blindly through the room, neither quite sure where they were even going anymore. It wasn't until the backs of Nico's knees crashed into the bed that he tensed up. Jason, sensing the other boy's sudden apprehension, eased up on the kissing. "Too much?"

Nico's face turned bright red. A shade somewhere between candy apple and fire truck. Jason found it incredibly endearing. "This is just—surreal I guess. Sorry."

"I wasn't going to do anything inappropriate," Jason assured. He looked down at the blushing Nico, "Well, not anything _really _inappropriate."

To Jason's surprise, the boy laughed. "I'm sure you wouldn't… _Vanilla_."

"That sounds an awful lot like a challenge to me, Nico." He teased, even though there was truth behind Nico's words. Jason was such a virgin it wasn't even funny. There were probably little gay middle schoolers out there getting more action. He fell back onto the bed, dragging Nico down on top of him.

"Jay—" Nico stuttered awkwardly, "I—I'm not—"

Now it was Jason's turn to laugh. "Relax Nico, I meant what I said earlier. I get that you don't want to rush into things. If it means you'll stay, we could be just friends." His lips curled into a mischievous smile, "I'm not saying I want to be just friends but… it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Or, you know, we could make out some more because, wow, you look really good right now."

"Shut up," Nico said, rolling his eyes and getting off of Jason—much to his disappointment. "You're ridiculous."

"What?" Jason smiled sitting up and kissing the younger boy's cheek, "You do. _Really _good."

"You're genuinely crazy. Now you like me _and _think I look good? Did I lose track of time? Is it April 1st already?"

Jason wiggled closer to Nico, placing his chin on the boy's shoulder. "Are you really going to make me sit here and tell you everything about you that I like? Because that's pretty embarrassing." Mainly embarrassing because Jason could literally go on forever. He would make a complete ass of himself. Nico gave him a sideways glance.

"Jesus, you're going to make me, aren't you?"

"Well, I mean, it's just… I'm trying to figure out what you could possibly see in me and I'm coming up blank." Nico looked at his hands. This _really _bothered him, apparently. Jason could tell by his sudden stiff posture, the way he couldn't meet Jason's eyes, the way he let his hair hide his face. And Jason suddenly didn't care if he sounded like the biggest idiot in all of Manhattan.

"What I could _possibly_ see in you? Nico, you are probably the most interesting person I've ever met. If most people had to go through what you have, it would wreck them. But you?" He pressed a soft kiss to the boy's shoulder, "You don't let that stuff keep you down. You can joke around and live your life and still be so driven and loyal to your mother. I wish I could be half as good as you are. You're brave and funny and smart, you know mythology better than I do and you've never even taken the class. Seriously, how is that fair? And you challenge me and tease me and I don't know… I just feel more alive, I guess. I'm not just living some mundane existence. And maybe you think that it's a bad thing, or that I'm taking stupid risks, but I don't see it that way. I like being around you, _a lot. _I tried not to like you that way, I really did. But, let me tell you, it's fucking impossible. I know we've only really known each other for a few weeks, but it feels like I've known you for years. I've never wanted to kiss somebody so badly in my entire life, do you know that?"

Nico looked like he wanted to interrupt but Jason kept talking. "Do you not even have any idea at all how crazy you've been driving me with your stupid little smirks? It's so appealing and you don't even know it! And don't get me started on that look you get in your eyes when I _know_ you're about to tease me. That look you're giving me right now! Hey!" Jason shoved him away. Nico laughed.

"Sorry," he apologized, biting back a smile. "You're kind of a dork."

It was Jason's turn to blush. "Well I don't hear you streaming out a list of reasons why _you_ like _me,_" he commented, cupping Nico's face in his hands. Nico pushed his hands away with a mortified look on his face.

"You have to even ask?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm starting to think there's nothing wrong with you," Nico admitted. "Other than your incurable hero complex and horrible taste in guys, of course. You're just so—perfect. Scarily perfect."

"I thought I was a dork?" Jason teased. _Perfect? He thinks _I'm _perfect? _

"You _are _a dork. You know, I remember seeing you at school and always writing you off. Typical guy, does well in school, attractive, tall, pretty girlfriend, has everything figured out. And now that I know you, I see I was wrong about you on so many levels. And the fact that you don't even care, you'd rather live in your novels and hang out with some middle-aged bookseller, or even choose some loser like me rather than go to a party…" His blush was so bright that he covered his face and didn't finish.

"Stop being so cute and ridiculous." Jason couldn't help himself. He pulled Nico against him and kissed him manically. Nico showed no hesitation, throwing his arms around Jason and accepting the embrace fully. They went on like that until Nico needed to catch his breath.

"Cute?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Really cute," Jason smirked.

"I think I could get used to this," he mumbled while Jason moved his lips down to Nico's neck. Jason left kisses all over Nico's skin there, alternating between simple kisses and more intense ones. Nico groaned, balling his fists in Jason's shirt. Said shirt was definitely going to have wrinkles from where Nico was grabbing at it, and the thought made Jason oddly thrilled.

"I don't think you're a loser, by the way," Jason whispered, his mouth now inches from Nico's ear.

Nico turned and placed his mouth on Jason's. They kissed for so long that Jason's lips actually _hurt. _At some point they had ended up laying down on the bed, completely wrapped up in each other. Jason would have been happy to keep kissing Nico until his lips went numb, but when Nico yawned Jason knew it was time to call it a night.

"Go to sleep, Nico."

"What is sleep?" He whispered against the blond's mouth.

"Come on, you know you're tired," Jason said patiently.

"I feel completely awa—" he stopped midsentence to yawn again. "Okay. Fine," Nico frowned, starting to get up.

"Where are you going?" Jason inquired, his fingers locking around the other boy's wrist.

"To bed?"

Jason pulled Nico back down onto his bed. "But you're already here," he smirked.

"I don't cuddle," Nico said.

"Oh, I think you do," Jason grinned. "Besides, how else will I know if you try to run away the second I fall asleep again?"

He meant it as a joke, but Nico looked at him with complete seriousness. "I won't."

"Good, because I'm not ready to let you go," Jason stated boldly. "And, speaking of which…" he wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him closer.

"You have got to be the most stubborn person in the world," Nico pouted, determined to act like he didn't want to sleep beside Jason. Which he might have believed if Nico wasn't snuggling closer to Jason's body as he spoke.

"Second most," Jason amended, kissing the other boy on the cheek.

"Well I'm not going to sleep if you keep doing that," Nico mumbled.

"Sorry," Jason whispered, adjusting himself and Nico into a comfortable while still cuddly sleeping position that had Nico tucked adorably against Jason's side, his arms loosely holding the dark haired boy. "You can sleep now." It occurred to him that Nico still wore the jeans and shirt he'd put on earlier—the ones Jason had found him in—but Nico was already half asleep.

"Jay," Nico mumbled.

"Yes, Nico?"

"For what it's worth… I like you, too."

Jason smiled. "Are you trying to make me kiss you again?"

"G'night Jay," he breathed, his head resting on Jason's chest.

"Sleep well, Nico."

…

Nico was developing a very healthy loathing for the sound of Jason's alarm.

Jason—the owner of the phone currently blaring sound, and the person who had his arms around Nico—groaned loudly, fumbling to silence it.

Nico didn't know if he wanted to open his eyes yet. Part of him worried that everything that had happened over the course of the night hadn't actually happened, hell, maybe not even the last two and a half weeks, and he'd wake up cold and alone.

He did it anyway.

And holy crap Jason was like six inches from his face and grinning like the idiot he was.

"It's too early for smiling," Nico complained to cover his embarrassment, because _hello! _He was in the arms of Jason Grace, stupidly hot Jason Grace. In his bed, of all places.

"Well I hope it's not too early for this," Jason said, kissing Nico before he could react. It wasn't anywhere near as heated as the ones from last night, but that didn't stop Nico's heart from hammering violently in his chest.

"Well I guess that means you didn't sleep off your insanity," Nico muttered.

"We were asleep for all of two hours, I couldn't have slept off a hangnail," Jason joked. "And what's it going to take for me to convince you I'm not an insane idiot?"

"You're always going to be an idiot," he teased.

Jason just grinned some more.

"Stop smiling at me like that," Nico attempted to cover his face with his hands. And Jason's arms were no longer around Nico because now they were tugging Nico's hands away from his face.

"It's adorable when you get all moody," the blond shared, bringing his lips to the corner of Nico's mouth, "Especially when I know that you're not actually in a bad mood."

"Oh, shut up," the younger boy snapped, hoping he didn't sound as flustered as he felt.

Jason placed his mouth over Nico's and kissed him again, deeper this time. And Nico _may _have thrown his arms around Jason's neck and leaned up into the kiss, but that was irrelevant. Jason's hands roamed down Nico's torso and to his hips. There, he dug his fingers into Nico's skin—not hard enough to be painful—and pressed their bodies deliciously closer. And Nico _may _have moaned into the blond boy's mouth, but that was _also _irrelevant.

"School," Nico stuttered, regretfully pushing Jason away.

"Damn it," Jason frowned.

"It's school, it's Friday, you'll live."

"I'd much rather be here," Jason shared, brushing his thumb over Nico's lips. Nico could hardly believe that Jason was actually upset about having to stop kissing him. Jason. Wanted to kiss Nico.

Because _that _totally made sense.

"Just get dressed already before you're late," Nico lectured, trying not to think about how much he also wished Jason didn't have to go. He shouldn't feel this way. He probably shouldn't have been kissing Jason at all. If he was smart he'd be under a bridge right now on the other side of the city.

But Nico was tired of being smart. Jason liking Nico, _actually_ liking him, may have been the best thing to happen to him in years. Arguably the _only _good thing to happen to him in years.

Nico wasn't sure if his mistake had been staying, or trying to leave in the first place. But his heart told him the latter, and he didn't give a fuck what his brain had to say about it.

Of course, all of these thoughts evaporated when Jason—who now stood in the middle of the room—began removing his shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nico squeaked, averting his eyes. He did _not _need shirtless Jason muddling his thoughts right now.

"Getting ready for school, like you said. Unless you think I should wear my pajamas?"

"I didn't mean to get dressed _right there!_"

"It really is irresistible, you know."

"What is?"

"The way you blush like that," Jason smirked. Nico chucked a pillow at him.

"Go get dressed in the closet or the bathroom or something, for the love of God."

"I'm starting to wonder if maybe you don't like me or something," the blue-eyed boy declared dramatically, fishing a shirt out of one of his drawers. Jason had probably meant it as a joke, but Nico wasn't laughing.

"If only," Nico mumbled under his breath.

The problem was that he liked Jason too much. Way too much.

And he couldn't stop. He couldn't walk away. He couldn't even deny it anymore.

"You say something?" Jason asked, his electric blue eyes piercing right into Nico's soul.

"I said, you wish," Nico lied, rolling his eyes and grinning.

Jason dressed then gathered his school things. Nico watched him scurry around with amusement. Watching Jason was a guilty pleasure of his. The tall, muscular, gorgeous, nerdy, generous, brilliant contradiction that was Jason Grace.

"I have work today," Jason sighed. He and Nico were now standing in front of his bedroom door. If he didn't leave soon, Leo would get suspicious, and the last thing they needed was him miraculously showing up again. "So I'll see you tonight."

"Bring food home. Chinese maybe." Had Nico just called this apartment his home?

"Chinese," Jason confirmed. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he placed his hands on Nico's face and brought their lips together. The kiss wasn't friendly, but it wasn't vulgar either. It was… sweet. Romantic, even. A goodbye kiss. Nico wondered if it was actually possible to melt from the inside out. "Okay, bye."

"See you later," Nico replied, leaning against the doorframe as Jason started down the hall. Once the other boy was out of sight, he shut the door with a sigh.

And Nico knew he was stupendously screwed.

He was starting to realize why people called it falling in love. The plunge into some mysterious darkness with no foreseeable ground. The heart racing. The weightlessness. The exhilaration. The nervous twisting feeling in the stomach.

It was as if Nico had stepped off of the edge of a cliff and Jason was the target at the bottom. Nico wasn't just falling. He was falling toward Jason. Falling into Jason. Falling for Jason.

Was that really what was happening?

* * *

_A/N: So, chapter seven! Yay! Now I have a piece of bad news for you. Next week being BOO week and all... Well, obviously I'll be reading that like a madwoman. And, on top of that, it's spirit week at my school so there's the parade, the homecoming game, blah blah blah. With all I have going on, there probably won't be an update next week. But I promise as soon as I finish Blood of Olympus I'll get to work editing chapter 8. Sorry! Don't hate me!_


	8. But I Can't Help

_A/N: Wow, those two weeks felt ENDLESS, didn't they? But I promise from now on updates will be every week. Until, of course, I inevitably catch up to myself. *nervous sweating* Well, I should probably go work on chapter 13. See you next week. Also, friendly reminder that nothing that happens in the PJO/HOO canon affects this story. And please no spoilers in the comments, not everyone has read Blood of Olympus yet!_

* * *

**CH. 8—But I Can't Help (Falling In Love With You)**

"What has you all smiley today?" Leo inquired just as the fifth period bell rang. Physics, his first afternoon class, and Jason already felt anxious for his day to end. How many hours until he got home? Eight? It felt like an eternity. Jason was supposed to just sit in class while a very kissable Nico di Angelo waited for him at home. He tried to wipe the dreamy smile off of his face with little success. _Nico. _

Jason shrugged noncommittally. The more vague he was, the better.

"Oh, come on, what is it? They move up the release date for one of the book series you like or something?" Their teacher, Mrs. White, was unsurprisingly late.

"It's Friday, that not a good enough reason to be happy?"

"Jason, there are 'it's almost the weekend' good moods and then there are 'walking on air' good moods. Pipes noticed it too."

Jason hadn't been that obvious, had he? He'd tried all day to act casual. He'd attempted to be normal Jason, but how the hell could he when Leo was right, he _was _walking on air. Keeping his mind off of Nico in school was almost as difficult as keeping his hands off of him had been that morning.

Yeah, Jason definitely wished he'd skipped school today. He wanted to be back home with Nico. Nico di Angelo, who liked Jason back. Nico di Angelo, who'd slept in his bed. Nico di Angelo, who'd kissed Jason goodbye before he left for school.

It was surreal, and of course Jason couldn't stop thinking about it. _Of course _he was a little more chipper than usual. But he certainly couldn't explain all of that to Leo. Best friend or not, Jason wasn't sure saying "_hey, you know Nico di Angelo? Yeah, he's been hiding out in my bedroom for weeks. And last night we made out. And then shared a bed. And I think I'm totally falling for him" _would blow over too well.

So instead he said, "You're going to think I'm totally lame…"

"I already think you're totally lame," his oldest friend teased.

"It _is_ a book thing," Jason lied. "Stephen King has another book being turned into a movie."

Leo rolled his eyes and smiled. "You need a boyfriend more than I need to pass final exams."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason inquired, but Mrs. White came in and started class before Leo could answer.

They didn't pick up the conversation until after the last period of the day, when the boys walked together toward Delphi. "Jason, dude, I love you, you know I do, but you're a senior in high school! Enjoy it, man! Live a little! You have a mom who literally lets you do much of anything and seventy percent of the time you have your swanky ass apartment to yourself. Do you realize all the shit you could be doing? You gotta put the books down once in a while."

Jason swallowed his annoyance. It wasn't Leo's fault that he didn't know the truth. "Leo, I don't care about parties. Parties are places where people gossip and drink and pretend to have fun. And I'm social enough. I have friends. I have a job. I make good grades. Who cares if I'm not living it up in true senior fashion? That's just a bunch of cliché bullshit anyways." That was all true. Jason thought the whole idea of a typical high school experience was pointless. High school didn't even matter once you got to college anyway. Of course, that wasn't the only thing keeping Jason from inviting over hoards of people, but he couldn't simply explain Nico.

"You're right about that," Leo conceded. "But I _do _retain my earlier opinion. You should really date someone. Go on dates at least. Something."

"When was the last time _you _went on a date, Leo?" Jason's voice took on an almost irritable quality. Damn it. Way to play it cool.

"You wound me," Leo joked, not seeming to notice Jason's mood change. "I get it, I get it. Backing off. But, for the record, at least _I'm _looking."

Jason didn't need to look. He knew exactly who he wanted. And that person would be waiting for him when he got home.

So yeah, Jason wanted to be really, _really _irritated with Leo. But he couldn't. How could he feel anything negative at all when he was so ridiculously warm inside?

…

Whether or not he liked to admit it, Nico had been clock watching all day long. Counting as each hour, each minute, each second brought him closer to seeing Jason again.

Seriously, what the hell had gotten into him? It wasn't like Nico wasn't used to Jason being gone all day. So what, they made out a couple of times and now Nico was some clingy loser just waiting for his—_what, friend? Boyfriend? Friend with benefits?_ _Whatever the hell Jason was to Nico—_'s return?

Whatever happened to his plan of _ignoring _his feelings?

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it._

And yet, Nico couldn't bring himself to completely regret his decision to stay. He couldn't regret kissing Jason. He just… couldn't. Not when it had felt so good. So right. So perfect. Somehow, Jason just made Nico feel _fuller._

Still, Nico knew it was in his best interest not to get too attached to the blond. Not to let things go too far. Because… if he did…

No. He wouldn't. He could handle this. He could be happy and be whatever he was with Jason _and_ save his mom and get out of town and—

Nico groaned, punching the pillow he'd slept on last night.

Jason was making him too hopeful, too optimistic. Nico should have known better by now. When had things ever, _ever _gone his way? This—whatever it may be—was something Nico would just have to enjoy while it lasted.

Still, Nico knew deep down that there was no way it could last forever. Nothing lasted forever. Especially not the things you couldn't imagine parting with.

He'd learned that the hard way.

…

The second Jason's shift ended he was out the door, almost forgetting to take off his nametag in his haste. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

Jason picked up Chinese food like he promised he would and then finally started toward home. The whole way there, however, a wild animal clawed at Jason's insides, which confused Jason. Nico had said he wouldn't try to run away again. Jason believed him. He did. He believed him. He believed him. Jason repeated it over and over again, _Nico will be there. Nico will be there. Nico will be there. _Part of Jason couldn't shake off the thought that last night had been too good to be true. This morning, too.

Jason had never felt so intensely about someone in his entire life. Yeah, of course he'd been attracted to other guys before, but nothing at all like this. Everything about Nico drew Jason in further and further, deeper and deeper, and he'd reached the point where escape from his feelings seemed impossible. And Jason didn't know how he could experience such strong feelings for someone he'd known all of three weeks, but God if he wasn't completely falling for this guy.

And that fucking terrified him.

_Just please, please still be there, _Jason prayed, turning on to his street. His eyes roamed up to the twentieth floor. _Be there. Please._

By the time Jason made the journey from the street corner, down the block, and up to his floor, an entire civilization had risen and fallen. Jason shot through the elevator doors the instant they opened wide enough.

The first thing he found when he arrived home was his mother was actually there. Normally this was not bad—good even because at least it meant she wasn't out drinking—but right now he only wanted for her to leave.

"That's a lot of food for just you," was the first thing she said. She gave him a curious—if not somewhat buzzed—look in the wall mirror where she was fixing her hair.

"Leo's coming over," Jason shrugged, lying easily.

"You never asked if Leo could come over," she sighed. Jason almost laughed in her face. Like she gave a fuck what he did.

"Whatever."

She didn't seem up for an argument. "I'm going out, I'll be home before school tomorrow, you should make breakfast."

"Tomorrow is Saturday," Jason said tiredly.

"Oh, well I like those muffins you make," and then his mother was out the door without another word. Jason shook his head. No time to think about that now. He was anxious to get to his room.

Before he could even reach the door, however, it opened from the other side. "I heard your mom leave," Nico explained, smiling awkwardly.

Just seeing him made Jason want to lean against a wall for support. The relief was instantaneous. Nico really hadn't left.

Jason, suddenly unsure of what to say, held up the bag of take-out. "Hungry?"

"Starving."

They stood there for a second, unsure what to say. Could Jason kiss Nico, or would the other boy find it to out of the blue. Nico chewed at his lip.

Why did that lip chewing have to be so damn distracting?

_Say anything, you fucking dork. _

"Uh, let's eat."

They ended up in the kitchen, sitting at the table in the same seats as the previous night with the hot chocolate. The memory made Jason's face heat up. He wanted to kiss Nico again, he'd wanted to kiss him all day long, but now that he finally had the chance he wasn't sure how to lead into it. An uncomfortable silence saturated the room.

"You get any more sleep after I left today?" Jason inquired when the lack of conversation became unbearable.

"No. I'm guessing you were pretty tired at school?"

Shrugging, Jason leaned in closer to the other boy, "It was worth it," he said with honestly.

Nico pushed his chair back from the table suddenly and rose to his feet, angling away from Jason.

"Uh, Nico?" Jason prompted.

The younger boy turned back, as flushed and embarrassed as Jason had ever seen him. "I just—I don't know how to act around you now!" He admitted.

"You don't have to act any different," he stood too, placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "I like who you are… just how you are. A lot."

"That's exactly what I mean!" Nico complained, beginning to circle the table. He raked his fingers through his hair, a motion that Jason found to be distractingly hot."I get that you like me or whatever. And then last night… and this morning. Where does that leave us? Hell, what does us even mean right now?"

Jason's heart filled with fondness. Leave it to Nico to be even _more_ of an over-thinker than Jason. "What do _you _want 'us' to be?" He inquired.

"You can't answer my question by asking me the same question! You're stressing me out, Grace!" Nico exclaimed, throwing his arms up in true Italian nature and continuing to pace. Jason caught his sleeve as he circled around, bringing the boy to a stop.

"Well I think us is whatever we decide it is," he unlocked his finger's from Nico's sleeve to take Nico's hand in his own. "This thing, friendship, relationship, whatever you want to call it, is between the two of us. Not my friends, not the school, not your family. You and me. Equally. It's not up to _me_ to define _us. _That's hardly mutual."

Nico scowled. "I don't—I have no idea what I'm doing. This stuff is all new to me. I thought I had an idea of what is going on but now I just feel… lost. Like earlier I couldn't wait for you to get home. And then you got here and… I panicked."

Jason laughed nervously. "I don't know what makes you think I hold the answers. I've never had a boyfriend or anything. The only person I've ever been even remotely serious with is Piper, and obviously that was a failure."

Nico gave him a skeptical look. "You're serious?"

"Well, obviously it was a failure. She's a girl."

Nico shook his head. "No, I mean, you haven't had a boyfriend before?"

It was Jason's turn to flush red. "Never," he admitted, "I've kissed guys and stuff, that's about it."

"Oh," Nico mumbled. "I just figured that…"

"You're special, I guess," Jason smirked, taking Nico's hips in his hands and drawing the boy closer. He lowered his head to bring his lips to Nico's, but the other boy pushed him away gently.

"Then what do _you _want us to be, Jason?"

The blond thought of the previous night, of the taste of hot chocolate on Nico's lips and the way he'd held on to Jason like letting go would set him adrift in outer space. He thought of Nico, curled up to him in bed, sleeping dreamlessly in the circle of Jason's arm. This morning, Nico's pillow hair and morning kisses.

Jason knew exactly what he wanted.

"Well, obviously this situation is complicated. Like really, really complicated. And I know that what happened with Luke was traumatic for you and that you're a little hesitant about all of this," he gestured between them, "but I like you. God, I like you. And, well, normally I guess I'd be asking you out on a date or something, which is kind of weird when you consider the fact that we share a bedroom, but—"

"You're saying, if things weren't complete shit…"

"I don't want to be just friends, or friends with benefits for that matter. Does the timing suck? Yeah, obviously, but I can live with that."

"Sucks is a mild way of putting it. You want to date a guy that you have to hide in your apartment because everyone thinks he's a murderer? You couldn't tell your friends, your sister, anyone."

"I've thought this through, Nico. You may not think so, but I know what I'm doing. I've made up my mind and I want to be with you. So what do _you_ want?"

"I want not to like you so damn much," he admitted, eyes falling to the floor. "And I'd like to hope that one day this will all blow over and I can live a normal life again and be a normal teenager, or at least as normal as I ever was. But it may not work out that way. And if we are to keep going with… _this_, you need to get that. A month from now I could be dead, or in prison, or on an entirely different continent never to be heard from again."

"Yes, but in that time I could get hit by a car. I could be mugged and murdered in the streets. Maybe aliens will abduct me. Nothing is certain, right? But that doesn't mean we stop living. Life happens, one way or another, so we might as well enjoy it where we can."

Nico's eyes met Jason's, dark and impossible to read. He sighed, "You sound like some cheesy character in one of those books you read."

"But it's kinda charming and makes you want to give me a chance, right?"

"This might just be the weirdest twenty-four hours of my entire life."

"Can I go ahead and take that as a 'yes, Jason, I want to be more than friends,' because I'm dying over here."

"You're such an idiot."

"So it's a yes?"

Nico smirked. "We can't date if we can't even leave the apartment."

"That sounds like a challenge to me," Jason said, stepping closer to the dark haired boy. Nico blushed.

"And what if I do get arrested, Mr. Optimism? You plan on dating a convict?"

"Oh yeah, I'll keep a picture in my wallet and show people and everything. Although, admittedly, kissing the picture won't be as good as the real thing."

Nico smiled. The genuine, deep smile that Jason loved. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"You could like… kiss me. That'd be good. Or I could kiss you. I really want to kiss you."

"Idiot," Nico muttered as he grabbed Jason by the neck of his shirt, tugging him forward until their lips collided in a heart-stopping kiss.

Jason's memory hadn't done Nico much justice. Either that or this kiss was twenty times better than their earlier ones. Jason lifted his hand to the nape of Nico's neck, twisting his fingers in the hair there while clutching at the thinner boy's hip with the other hand. Nico's arms looped around the blond, throwing himself into the embrace entirely. Jason fought back a shudder. Their tongues met and he felt the sensation all the way down in his toes. If the last time Nico had kissed a boy was Luke—Jason didn't actually know if there had been someone since then—he definitely hadn't forgotten how. The thought of Nico kissing other boys made Jason suddenly uncharacteristically jealous and he drew Nico in closer.

Nico pulled away first, practically gasping for air.

"So, when all of this is over, and it _will _be over eventually, what do you say I take you to dinner?" Jason asked, still catching his breath himself.

"Am I like the only gay guy you know, or something?" Nico mumbled, flushed red from his chest to his forehead. Jason had never seen someone blush all the way down their neck, but it made Nico look unbearably alluring.

"No," Jason kissed him lightly on the lips, "You're not." A slightly longer kiss. "Somehow I'm going to convince you that I'm not stupid." He had every intention of kissing Nico until he couldn't breathe.

Nico pushed at his chest gently. "In the meantime, maybe we should eat? I meant what I said about being hungry."

"Oh, right," Jason said, releasing the other boy from his hold. He'd let Nico eat and _then _maybe he would kiss him until he couldn't breathe.

Somehow, his feelings for this boy kept getting stronger and stronger. In three weeks he'd gone from wanting to be Nico's friend, to developing a small crush, to wanting to kiss him, to never wanting to let him go.

_Wait, what? _

That _was_ crazy talk. Jason was getting ahead of himself.

"Leo thinks I need a life," he announced, digging into his noodles.

"Well, you do work at a bookstore for fun," Nico teased.

"He's convinced that I need to get a boyfriend or something," he smirked. "And you think _I'm _an idiot."

Nico's expression mirrored Jason's. "You're both idiots apparently. Makes sense."

"You're pretty mean to me," Jason sipped his water.

"I'm mean to everyone, don't go feeling all special or anything just because I like you."

"I'll try not to," Jason promised. Nico smiled again. Because of Jason.

It was almost better than the kissing.

_Almost._

…

"Favorite color?" Jason asked, running a thumb over Nico's knuckles in a way that Jason probably hadn't meant to be sensual, but totally was.

"Black," Nico answered easily. The blond laughed.

"Figures." After they'd finished eating, Jason and Nico had moved to sit on the couch in the living room and were now engaged in a never-ending game of questions. Nico hadn't expected Jason to take such an interest of the most minute details of Nico's life, but the other boy seemed eager to learn anything and everything he could. Nico's back rested on the arm of the couch and his legs were bent at the knees with Jason's legs resting underneath. The proximity between the two of them was not lost on Nico. He felt Jason's closeness with every _thump _of his heart.

Jason wanted to date him. Jason actually desired a relationship. The idea should have terrified Nico, but the firework explosions going off inside of his chest didn't care about that. Maybe Nico deserved one good thing in his life.

And Jason Grace was certainly a good thing.

"Most humiliating thing that ever happened to you?"

Jason bit his lip and gave Nico an embarrassed smile. "You're going to make fun of me."

"Maybe I will, stapler boy."

"Got hit in the head with a brick. Knocked me out cold."

"Embarrassing? That just sounds painful."

"It was painful, too," now Jason intertwined his fingers with Nico's, causing the younger boy to momentarily forget to breathe, "But if it makes me sound any cooler, I was trying to break up a fight."

"So your hero complex has gotten you into trouble before," Nico surmised. "Saving a fair maiden, perhaps?"

"Leo played a prank that caused quite the commotion, I was just trying to stop Octavian from pummeling him."

"And so he threw a brick at you?"

"Oh, no, that was just a happy accident. But it _did _happen while I was trying to stop a fight."

Nico squeezed Jason's hand. Jason squeezed back.

If someone had told Nico two months ago that he'd spend this Friday night—or any night—snuggled up to Jason Grace and holding hands while sharing things about themselves, Nico would have laughed in their face. It was still almost too much for Nico to wrap his mind around, but he was trying. Clearly Jason wasn't going to budge on the feelings thing, so Nico needed to stop waiting for him to change his mind.

Who knew? Maybe things actually were going right for Nico for once.

Never in his life had Nico let people be this physically close to him. He'd been beaten enough times by his father to not let anyone touch him—Bianca being the only exception. But with Jason… it was like Nico couldn't get close enough. He actually _craved _the other boy's closeness.

"What do you want to be when you're older?" Jason asked.

"Not arrested and alive," Nico declared. Jason glowered at him. "Okay, fine. A child and family social worker."

"Really?"

"I want to help kids with shitty lives. I know how they feel."

Jason leaned in and kissed Nico for the first time since they'd sat down. Nico sunk into Jason's body, allowing the feeling of Jason's lips to overtake him. This particular kiss was tender, Jason's free hand curling around Nico's neck in a way that was so sweet and gentle that Nico sighed against Jason's lips. They didn't stop holding hands. Nico worried his palm was getting sweaty, but Jason didn't seem to notice or care.

"Favorite movie?" Nico whispered against Jason's lips.

"I have a lot." Jason planted a quick kiss on Nico's lips.

"Name one."

Jason pondered it for a minute, pulling Nico onto his lap in the process. Before, this may have sent Nico into a panic, but things were so different now. Who would have thought that being in someone's arms, so close that noses brushed and chests pressed together, could actually be a comfort to Nico. Just weeks ago, anyone other than his sister getting so close to him usually meant Nico was getting his ass kicked.

"Casablanca," Jason decided, interrupting Nico's thoughts, "It's a classic."

"Casablanca?" He asked incredulously, pushing back from Jason slightly to stare at him.

"It's a classic, okay?"

"I know. I love that movie. My mom is a huge old movie enthusiast."

"You're kidding," Jason's lips curled into a smile.

"I'm not," Nico assured.

So that was how, ten minutes later, Jason and Nico found themselves in the beautiful black and white world of Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund.

Jason had his arms wrapped around Nico once again, which may have distracted from the movie just a little. It wasn't until Jason started kissing Nico's neck some time into the movie that he found it impossible to focus. Nico leaned his head back against Jason's shoulder, deciding that he definitely didn't hate Fridays anymore.

"Oh, I love this part!" Jason announced, bringing his lips away from Nico's skin.

Nico snorted. Jason _would _go from sucking on his neck to freaking out over a movie he'd probably seen a hundred times. Jason looked so damn excited about the movie, though, that Nico couldn't resent the loss of contact.

A second later Jason seemed to remember Nico, squeezing the younger boy gently in his arms. Then, with a grin, he whispered in synchronization with the movie, perfectly quoting every line in the scene.

"Oh no, you're a movie quoter," Nico said with mock horror. "That's it, release me. I have to leave. I can't be with someone who quotes movies while watching them."

"Oh really?" Jason asked, pushing Nico down so his back rested on the leather of the couch. Jason lowered himself as well, resting his knees on either side of Nico's hips and kissing him deeply. "Come on, you know the lines too," he challenged.

The funny thing was that he was right. Nico had probably seen this movie enough times to quote it word for word. He opened his mouth, anticipating the next line, "I can't fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right any longer. You have to think for both of us. For all of us."

Jason laughed, "All right, I will. Here's looking at you, kid."

_I wish I didn't love you so much. _The next line, but Nico didn't say it. Instead, he pulled Jason down to his lips once again.

"Wow, we're complete nerds," admitted Jason. "I knew you knew the lines."

They went back to watching the movie after that, but Nico had trouble focusing.

_I wish I didn't love you so much. _It was just a movie line. He should have just said it. Why did saying it feel like jumping a massive hurdle? It wasn't like Nico was telling Jason he was in love with him. It was just a stupid, unimportant movie line.

So why did it feel like more?

…

"Jason," Nico sighed, "I'm really fine on the floor."

It was nearly one in the morning and the lack of a good night's sleep the previous night weighed down on the boys.

Jason, who sat on the bed, had that _I'm annoyed with you _look all over his face. Normally Nico would have found it amusing. Tonight he wished Jason would just let the issue drop. Yes, of course Nico liked the idea of crawling into bed with Jason and snuggling close to him like they had the previous night. However, last night was different. Just because Nico had agreed to sleep with Jason then, didn't mean it ought to be a regular occurrence. They'd just admitted to liking each other less than twenty-four hours ago. Nico didn't want to rush things with Jason, partially out of fear that Jason would realize the depths of Nico's feelings and get scared away. Maybe, Nico mused, if they kept things slow and didn't get too serious, both boys could make it out unharmed. Nico could get out with his heart intact…

And Jason could get out with his life.

So no, Nico was _not _going to give in to his desires to burrow under Jason's soft comforter and sleep against his warm, muscular body. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Absolutely not.

"Is the floor really preferable to a bed?" Jason questioned.

"The floor is all I need. Go to sleep."

Jason lowered himself to the floor, kneeling beside the dark haired boy. "You're pushing me away again."

"Because I don't want to sleep with you?" Nico mocked.

"You make it sound like I'm trying to molest you," he remarked. "It's just sleeping, Nico. I like sleeping beside you."

Typical Jason, saying whatever he felt without shame. Meanwhile, Nico could barely say what he was thinking without turning into a tomato.

"We cuddled for half of the night on the couch. This is stupid, I'm a big boy, I can sleep all by myself."

"And the nightmares?" Jason prompted.

"I'm sleeping on the floor," Nico declared, lying down on his side and putting his back to Jason.

"Okay, me too." An arm curled around Nico's torso and pulled his back against the hard planes of Jason's chest. Nico figured that with Jason's muscular figure all the snuggling ought to be uncomfortable, but it wasn't. Something about being pressed up against Jason was so… inviting. Perfect.

That was why Nico needed to stop it.

"Damn it, Jason," Nico growled, "Why are you so fucking stubborn?"

"I prefer the word persistent. And maybe I just find your presence comforting. I—I'm not used to touching people _like this," _Jason let his fingers glide down the side of Nico's arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

Nico let out an exasperated breath and turned to face the blond. It was fortunate he had just exhaled because when he rolled over, because the way Jason's eyes were on him halted his oxygen flow. Yeah, he was fucking cliché, sue him. They were so close their breaths mingled together.

"Here's looking at you kid," Jason whispered, his breath tickling Nico's lips.

Nico suddenly remembered that survival depended on his ability to breathe and took in a small breath. "I'm not a good sleeper," Nico admitted. "I thrash around a lot when I have nightmares."

"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams," Jason said under his breath.

"What?"

"It's _Hamlet_. Nevermind. I'll keep the bad dreams away, how's that?"

"Not even you can stop them, Jay. They're dreams."

"Well," Jason leaned closer, "I could try."

"You win," Nico conceded, "But just for tonight."

Jason kissed Nico chastely on the lips. "Does that mean we can sleep on the bed? Cause I mean, I'll sleep on the floor if you _really _want to but…"

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, bed. Don't think this is going to be habitual though, Jason. I mean it. We kissed for the first time less than a day ago. Sharing a bed is a little quick, wouldn't you say?"

Jason took Nico's hands and helped him to his feet. "How would I know? This is all new to me. Either way, we're not exactly in a conventional situation right now." He drew Nico down onto the mattress.

"You're correct there."

"It feels right though."

"I know," Nico breathed, nuzzling against Jason's body, "I feel it too."

"Goodnight," Jason pressed his lips to Nico's forehead.

"Sleep tight," Nico teased.

"Don't let the creepy molester cuddling up to you bite." Both boys laughed, the last sound to fill the room before they drifted off to sleep.

And maybe it was Jason, maybe it was just luck… but Nico didn't have any nightmares.

…

On Saturday afternoon, Jason got a phone call from Thalia while Nico was in the shower.

"Hey Sparky," she greeted.

"Hey Sis," Jason smiled.

"How's life? Mom driving you up the wall?"

Even before their father's death, Thalia and their mother hadn't gotten along. Jason was the golden child, he played sports and did well in school and had even been class president freshman year. Making his parents happy had always been a big thing for Jason. Thalia, however, had been more of the black sheep. The outsider in an otherwise "perfect" family. Jason had never seen her that way, but his parents had. It wasn't until Thalia left that Jason broke the mold. He quit football, and student council, he started spending all his free time at Delphi, he stopped going to parties.

"Mom is… Mom."

"Hear anything from Stanford yet?"

"No, but hopefully soon. God, I hope I get in."

"You will. And then you'll move here and Mom won't drive you up the wall anymore," Thalia laughed.

"Sounds great. Haven't seen you in months." Thalia wasn't allowed in the house anymore. Anytime she was in town, Jason had to go somewhere to see her and then lie to his mother about it later. _If_ she even cared to ask where he'd been, which was almost never.

"Actually, that's why I'm calling! I'm going to be in New York for a few days during your spring break!"

"That's great!" Jason told her.

"You can catch me up on all of the scandalous details of your life," Thalia enthused.

"Me? Scandalous?" He laughed nervously. Jason could only imagine how _that _chat would go.

_What's new with me? Well, I'm seeing someone. His name is Nico. Look him up, his face is only on every newspaper in the city. It's because everyone thinks he killed his sister, but he totally didn't I swear! He's a great guy. _

The situation royally sucked. Jason was _crazy _about Nico and he couldn't even tell his own sister about their relationship. He couldn't tell his best friends. He couldn't tell anyone.

Not that Jason didn't understand… he _knew _why he had to keep quiet and he would do it to be with Nico. It still sucked, though.

"Hey, I gotta go. I have lunch plans. Talk to you later, little brother."

"Have fun, Thals. Love you."

"You too." She hung up.

Nico came out of the bathroom two minutes later, toweling his hair with his shirt on the wrong way. Jason felt his lips tugging into a smile without his consent. Shit, he was falling harder for this guy every day.

"Your shirt is on backwards," Jason informed.

Nico examined his chest. "Oops." He pulled the shirt up off of his torso and freed his arms, rotating the stretchy cotton and poking his arms back through the sleeve holes. The whole time, Jason's eyes were on Nico's bare body. He'd never actually seen Nico shirtless before, but now saw that he had a nice form. He was definitely slim, but any weight he'd dropped during his time in the streets had already come back and he looked healthy. Jason was mesmerized.

"Stop looking at me," Nico complained, letting the shirt fall back over his stomach. "Not everyone can have washboard abs, Jay."

"Washboard abs? Really?" Jason repeated, amused.

"I will kick your pretty boy ass," Nico threatened.

"So I'm pretty with washboard abs but I can't appreciate the view you give me?"

"View? I'm like the hotel room that faces the parking lot. You're the one looking out over the fucking ocean."

Jason wasn't sure whether he should be embarrassed or flattered. He'd never really seen himself as particularly attractive. He was tall, sure, but so were a lot of guys. Nico was so much more unique looking though, all the pale skin setting off the messy black hair and the intriguing dark eyes. Jason was about as All-American looking as a guy could get.

"I think you should give yourself more credit, Nico. And maybe give me a little less, while you're at it."

Nico just shook his head at the older boy. "How are you even so fit?"

Jason shrugged. "I played football up until my dad died. The only reason I played was to make him happy, didn't really seem worth it after that. Since then? I don't know, I work in a bookstore, the hardest work I have to do is lifting heavy boxes of books."

Nico threw up his arms in exasperation. "Stop breaking the system, Jason. The hot book geek who stays in shape by lifting boxes of novels and works even though he's plenty rich and compassionate _and _friendly to filthy teenagers he finds in shady alleys is a little too much to process."

There were about a hundred things Jason could have said to that. "Friendly? Is that what you think I'm being?" He laughed. "Apparently I haven't been forward enough."

Nico started forward suddenly and bunched his hands in the cotton of Jason's shirt, bringing him down for a searing kiss. Jason threw his arms around the boy, drawing him in closer. The feel of Nico's body against his was almost dangerous, causing Jason to be a little relieved when Nico broke the kiss just seconds later.

"What was that for?" Jason asked, unable to hold back a smile.

That irresistible blush made an appearance on Nico's skin. "I heard you talking to someone while I was in the shower. Who was it?" He prompted, grasping for a topic change.

"Thalia. She's going to be here for a few days during spring break. I haven't seen her in months."

"She doesn't stay here when she visits, does she?" The boy's eyes widened.

Jason snorted, "She's not even allowed in the apartment when my mom's around. Normally that sucks, but" he glanced at the boy in front of him, "I guess it's a good thing this time. She's not oblivious like my mother."

"Yeah, few people are," Nico chuckled, but there was a strange look on his face that Jason couldn't quite read.

"You okay?" He tilted Nico's head up in order to study his expression.

"Yeah," Nico assured, "Just got a little disoriented for a second. I'm fine now."

…

Nico was the exact opposite of fine.

He was dizzy, sick to his stomach, his chest ached, his skin burned, his pulse raced, his stomach churned.

Nico had left earth for another planet, one that existed only when he looked into the riveting blue of Jason's eyes. Gravity didn't hold him to this world, Jason did. Jason's words, Jason's smiles, Jason's laugh, Jason's arms.

Nico was falling… falling… falling.

Falling so hard for this boy in front of him with nothing to hold on to, nothing to soften the blow, nothing to stop him.

He couldn't deny it to himself anymore.

And it felt amazing, on the one hand. Nico felt strong, invincible even. He felt that if he had Jason by his side, somehow everything would be okay. How could it not be, with Jason around?

Nico was as warm and gooey as a fresh cinnamon bun under Jason's concerned stare. Jason cared about _Nico_. He worried about _Nico. _

When was the last time someone outside of his family had cared so profoundly about his wellbeing?

But, on the other hand, Nico was absolutely terrified. All of his attempts to stay back, to protect himself from more love and loss and hurt had been in vain. Jason held Nico's heart in his hands, and he could do whatever he wanted with it.

And there was nothing, absolutely nothing, Nico could do to protect himself at this point. Running away from Jason would be leaving his heart behind.

He couldn't run, not anymore.

The time had come for Nico to weather the storm.


	9. The D In Distractions

_A/N: Hey guys! I know Friday has already ended, but the day isn't REALLY over until I go to sleep soo… (Give me a break, I got home at 11:130). Also, once again let me remind you all that you can check out my tumblr at nehilimgirlbooks. Oh, and last thing, I edited this chapter once but I was too exhausted to do my final proof-read all the way through. So if there are grammar errors, I am so sorry! I'm exhausted and on my way to bed now._

* * *

**CH. 9—Nico Di Angelo Puts The D in Distractions (And Desire)**

Now the nightmares, Nico had long ago grown used to those. They sucked, royally fucking sucked, but at least he knew how to deal with them. The guilt, the fear, the helplessness, those were feelings Nico could write full-length dissertations on.

He didn't have a clue how to deal with lust.

The dream started with Jason's lips on his neck, just like they had been Friday night during the movie. He kissed a trail from the base of Nico's neck to the line of his jaw, occasionally letting his tongue linger on the sensitive skin. Nico groaned, pulling Jason in closer. Closer. Closer.

Nothing felt close enough.

"Mmm, Nico," Dream Jason moaned, dragging his hand down Nico's chest and to his—no, _not _his shorts. Nico realized with great surprise that he wasn't wearing any. In fact, he was completely naked from the waist down. Jason gave a devilish grin as his hand moved lower. The blond tugged Nico's shirt up and up and up until his chest was bare too.

"Why are you still wearing clothes?" His dream self growled at the older boy.

Jason's lips were against his. "You talk too much," he whispered. And then his lips followed the earlier path of his hand. Down the neck, down the chest, across Nico's unimpressive and pale torso. Except Jason didn't treat it like it was scrawny and unattractive. He appraised Nico's skin with kiss after kiss, eliciting a fair and somewhat embarrassing number of sounds from the younger boy.

Nico hissed through his teeth as Jason's mouth moved lower still, over his pelvis, finally and mercifully meeting the shaft of his—

Nico jolted awake.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. _

What was that? What the fuck was that?

Nico's eyes landed on the boy beside him. Still asleep, thankfully. Jason's face wore a peaceful expression, mouth slack, arm at his side where it once had been wrapped around Nico's waist. Thank God he hadn't woken up. If he did, surely he would have noticed the, er, _problem _Nico was left with thanks to his dream.

_Damn it. Damn it. _

Nico knew he shouldn't have agreed to spend another night in Jason's bed. Unfortunately, it had become a habit at this point. A habit, after only four nights. Nico tried to sleep on the floor only to have Jason lure him back into the bed, kissing his lips and nuzzling his neck and doing all kinds of sickeningly sweet things. So yeah, maybe Nico had more or less given up. He'd come to terms with the fact that he and Jason would just be sleeping in the same bed. No big deal, right? It was only sleeping.

Yeah, only sleeping and sex dreams.

And now it was almost six in the morning and Nico was sporting some serious wood.

Jason's pleasant sleeping expression was disrupted suddenly, a small scowl appearing on his face. Nico held his breath, but the boy did not wake. Rather, his right arm stretched out, curling around Nico's form once again and pulling him back into the blond's clutches.

_Fuck fuck fuck, _he cursed silently as Jason tugged their bodies flush together, Nico becoming the little spoon in their embrace.

Because Jason's dick pressed against his ass was _just_ the thing to kill a boner.

_Not._

Nico tried to wiggle free, but Jason had a death grip around his waist this time. He wasn't going anywhere.

So Nico just laid there, his heart racing, Jason's breath on his neck, his dick—which unfortunately seemed to be experiencing a similar issue to Nico's—pressed up against him, their bodies pressed close.

And, needless to say, Nico did _not _fall back to sleep.

…

When Jason's alarm went off, Nico pretended he had been sleeping. Otherwise he would have had to acknowledge the fact that he had spent the last hour with Jason's morning wood digging into him.

Sometimes being a guy was a r_eal _pain in the ass. _Uh, no pun intended, _Nico thought. Jason shot awake quickly, separating from Nico almost instantly.

"You know," Nico observed, "If your alarm wasn't a blaring siren, you probably wouldn't jolt awake in terror every morning."

Jason pushed his fingers through his hair, sitting up in the bed. "Well, it always does the trick, doesn't it?"

"If by that you mean it always nearly gives me a heart attack," Nico declared, sitting up as well.

The blond grinned and leaned in to kiss Nico. The embrace started off chaste, but after only a few seconds, Jason's tongue swiped over the younger boy's lips. And then Nico thought of what that mouth—what that _tongue—_had done in Nico's dream last night. He blushed deeply.

Almost as if he had been in the dream too, as if he could read Nico's thoughts, Jason tensed and gently pushed Nico off.

"I need to get ready for school," he muttered, placing one quick peck on Nico's cheek before disappearing into the bathroom, looking plenty red-faced himself.

…

Jason liked having Nico in his bed. He really, really did. But he had to admit, the cold shower thing was getting a little old, and the week had only just begun.

Why would Jason take a cold shower when he could very simply adjust the heat, you ask? Three words.

Nico di Angelo.

The worst part was, Jason could barely remember the dream that had brought on this problem to begin with. If he was going to have sex dreams and wake up with hard-ons, then shouldn't he at least be able to remember the fucking dream?

_Well, not the _fucking_ dream, the fucking dream. Or both, maybe? Damn it, Grace, _Jason thought to himself as the cold water rushed down his chest, chilling him to the bone.

God, Nico hadn't _noticed _the hard-on, had he?

Jason himself hadn't even realized it until they started kissing.

It must have been a _good _dream, Jason could tell that much. But so, so, so embarrassing. Morning wood had never been a huge problem for Jason before. Of course, that was also before he snuggled up to sleep against the obvious star of Jason's dream: Nico.

For all of his doubts, Nico's presence in Jason's dream was _not _one of them. Nico had been there. God, had Nico ever been there.

_Stop thinking about Nico. Stop, _Jason scolded. He'd never get rid of his erection that way. Jason considered just jerking off, but something about touching himself after a sex dream about Nico with Nico on the other side of the door was a definite no.

And to think, Nico didn't believe he had any sex appeal…

…

On Tuesday, Jason's mother had left by dinnertime. She had a date, apparently, which meant she was probably hooking up with some married man while his wife thought he was at a business dinner. Jason wouldn't put it past his mother.

Nico sat on the couch, muttering unintelligible things, while Jason sat in the kitchen and tried to get some actual homework done.

"Sam, Dean, get your shit together!" Nico yelled at the screen.

Okay, so Jason wasn't actually getting much homework in.

"They can't hear you," Jason called, punching an equation into his calculator.

"Shh! I'm listening!" Nico scolded. Jason smiled to himself. He liked it whenever Nico's inner nerd made an appearance.

Jason eventually finished his work and joined Nico on the couch, throwing his arm over the boy's shoulders. Nico continued mumbling angrily at the TV.

"You follow this show, I'm guessing?" Jason asked.

"Jason, _shh!_" Nico pressed a finger to the older boy's lips.

When the show ended—with some very attractive thirty-something guys talking in their car—Nico began flipping mindlessly through the channels.

He stopped when suddenly his own face appeared on the screen. "The search for suspected murderer, sixteen year old Nico di Angelo carries on. Over five weeks have passed since Hades and wife Maria arrived home to find their daughter stabbed and their son missing. The couple continues to grieve the loss of their seventeen year old daughter, Bianca." The screen flashed to Jason's school, where the Bianca memorial out front was still going strong. Jason ripped the remote from Nico's grip and shut off the television.

Nico said nothing.

Lightly, Jason kissed the boy's temple. He pulled them closer together.

"I never got to go to her funeral," Nico finally muttered.

"How about we go to bed?" Jason whispered.

Nico had given up on the sleeping argument, crawling into Jason's bed without a word of protest. Jason, now clad in his pajama pants, slid in beside him, forcing thoughts of the past two nights' dreams out of his mind. Not a simple task, considering that he _vividly _remembered the one from the previous night.

He brushed his fingers through the younger boy's messy dark hair.

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" Nico whispered, resting his head on Jason's pillow.

"Would you be there with me?" Jason smirked. Nico rolled his eyes.

"Just answer the question, you cheesy moron."

Jason considered the question. He honestly had never put much thought in to traveling the world, he'd just be happy to get away from New York. "I'd go everywhere, of course. Well, not everywhere, maybe I'd skip over Siberia but…"

"That's hardly an answer," Nico declared.

"Where would you like to go then?"

"Greece," Nico said wistfully. "Athens, really. All the mythology and the history… Like Mythomagic come to life."

Jason chuckled. "Ah yes, Mythomagic."

Nico shoved him without much malice. "Now, you answer."

"Somewhere mountainous. I love being up really high, it's like flying. One of my favorite things to do in New York is go to the Empire State Building and ride up to the observation deck late at night, just before closing. So, the Swiss Alps. The Himalayas maybe." He glanced down at Nico. "I like beautiful things."

"You're never going to believe this, but I haven't actually _been _to the Empire State Building," Nico confessed.

"What? Blasphemy! It's the best place in the city!" Jason had been visiting the Empire State Building since before he could remember. There was something strangely comforting to Jason about being so up in the clouds. Most people looked at him like he was crazy when he tried to explain it.

"Lived in New my whole life, passed by it all the time, never went inside," Nico shrugged. "It's just a building."

"Just the _best _building," Jason insisted, "The view from up there is unbelievable! The whole city just lights up at night and while I'm up there I can almost remember a time when I loved this place."

Nico scooted up on the mattress so his head rested in the crook of the blond's neck. "Why do you hate New York so much, Jay?"

"I don't hate the city, I guess. I hate living in this apartment that used to be my family's home and is now just this… ghostly memory. The shell of what it used to be. It's almost like my entire family died along with my dad. I hate the gossipy people at school who care more about getting a date to prom than they do about getting into college. I just hate… this environment."

Nico nodded, frowning.

"But," Jason added, brushing the backs of his fingers down Nico's cheek, "It's not all bad. There are definitely bright spots. Leo and Piper. Working at Delphi. The Empire State Building." He blushed. "You."

Nico sat up, hugging his knees to his chest. "I met a homeless kid, you know, back on the streets," he shared. "His name was Tyson. He was a big guy, not very bright either. More than likely he's never stepped foot in a school. We looked out for each other, for a while. Just a few days really, but it's hard to make friends out there. Anyway, I asked him once… if he felt resentful because of the hand he'd been dealt. And he just looked at me and said 'I don't need a fancy place or a lot of money, New York is looking out for me.' Back then, I wondered if he was a little crazy. Then I realized, he's right you know. New York is cruel, cold, and a lot of other terrible things, but sometimes it feels like the city raised me more than my parents did. For that, I don't think I can ever truly hate it here."

Jason considered that. He thought about the city whose lights never dimmed, the city where silence was a foreign concept, where millions of people coexisted in a strange way, bringing all of their cultures and character with them.

"Yeah," he sighed, pulling Nico back down to rest against his chest. "Maybe I can't, either."

…

As the week wore on and turned to the weekend, one thing became painfully clear to Nico—sex dreams were almost as inconvenient as nightmares.

Yes, his abusive father and guilt over all the people hurt because of him all made for very dramatic food for nightmares, but at least he didn't have to _look _at those people every damn day.

And Jason, poor Jason had no clue about the what he had been up to in Nico's dreams. If he did, he'd probably be more hesitant to allow Nico in his bed night after night.

For fuck's sake, Nico was a virgin. Where the hell was his mind getting all of this? He'd never known his imagination could be capable of such feats.

Nico needed to get a grip. He knew for a fact this was not the time to be thinking about… _that. _He had to focus on his mother. His mother. His mother.

And Jason _really _needed to stop biting his lip while he studied.

…

Homework had certainly been a lot easier before Nico came around.

Time had moved forward—as it often did—and now Spring Break loomed on the horizon. Sadly, this meant that grades for the third quarter of the year were due at the end of the week and every damn teacher decided to assign a test or a project or both. The day was only Monday and Jason already had a disgusting pile of homework in front of him. Apparently no one had told Jason's teachers that it was the second half of senior year and school no longer mattered.

So, while Nico laid sprawled out very distractingly on the bed reading one of Jason's personal favorites—Sherlock Holmes—Jason had a far less interesting economics textbook open on his desk. If he looked forward, there were his books on their shelves, crying out to be read. If he turned around, there was Nico di Angelo lounging on his bed, tempting in ways he didn't even comprehend.

Jason didn't take his eyes off of the textbook.

"You've been staring at that thing for like two hours," Nico complained.

"No, I was doing statistics and mythology earlier. I still haven't prepared for physics at all and I have a test Wednesday."

"I thought you're a genius, Jason. Aren't you like, ranked number one in your class?"

"Two, actually. Annabeth is one."

"Oh, you're never going to pass her," it sounded like Nico was smiling, but Jason didn't dare turn to look.

"No, but I don't want anyone to pass me, either. Stanford doesn't accept slackers."

"I'm bored," the boy behind him said. Jason heard the bed shifting. He hesitantly spun in his chair to see what Nico was doing and found the smaller boy now standing a foot away, arms crossed over his chest.

"Thirty more minutes and I'll put the homework away," Jason promised.

"How about thirty seconds?" Nico smirked, snatching the book away.

"Hey!" Jason protested, ready to start an argument when Nico lowered himself onto Jason's lap.

"Study break, now," he demanded. "Just one kiss."

Jason sure as hell wasn't about to deny Nico when the boy was basically straddling him.

"I guess I could take a small break," he allowed, his hands roaming up to Nico's hips.

Nico grinned like the Cheshire Cat himself before bringing his lips to Jason's. The blond groaned, his grip on Nico tightening marginally. Jason had tried to maintain control during each of their past kisses—to be a perfectly polite gentlemen. After all, Nico had flipped out the first time Jason kissed him, he could only imagine what the boy would do if Jason got a hard-on. Well, a hard-on when Nico was _awake _and could _feel _it.

But, well—Nico was on his _lap. _His tongue grazed Jason's lips, seeking to deepen the kiss. The older boy opened his mouth without hesitation. Their tongues met in a frenzy while Nico cupped his hand on the back of Jason's neck to keep the boy close. At the same time he pushed his body against Jason's, almost as if by accident, causing their lower halves to rub together in a way that made Jason moan into Nico's mouth. The friction was glorious. Jason felt a stirring in his pants. His hands traveled from Nico's hips down to his ass and he used this new leverage to rub Nico against him again. And again. All the while, he felt himself becoming more and more aroused.

It wasn't just him either. Nico gasped into Jason's lips, grinding against him eagerly. "Jason," he moaned. Jason strained against his jeans. Yeah, _definite_ erection. But at least Nico seemed to be in the same predicament.

"Fuck," Jason cursed, tightening his grip on Nico's ass. So much for being a gentleman. He guided Nico's movements as they moved their needy lower halves together over and over. Jason started to become lightheaded from the pleasure of it. Nico's dick, hard in his pants, grinding up against his own. Absolutely intoxicating.

Jason trailed his lips down Nico's jaw and settled them on the pale expanse of the other boy's neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses across the delicate skin there. Nico's legs has ended up around Jason's torso and it was like the dark haired boy was everywhere, affecting Jason beyond reason.

"Keep your legs around me," Jason instructed. Then, his mouth still on Nico's neck and his arms holding the smaller boy up, Jason rose and stumbled the few steps to his bed, sending them tumbling down onto the mattress. He pressed Nico against the blankets, keeping his weight off of him at all places except for where it really mattered. Their lips reunited and Jason felt himself drawing closer and closer to release.

They probably shouldn't be doing this.

"Oh God," Nico panted, grabbing at Jason's hips under his shirt. Jason was vaguely aware that if they didn't stop what they were doing, he was going to come in his pants like the virgin he was.

They definitely shouldn't be doing this.

"Jason, I'm gonna—" He thrust his body against Jason's once more and that was all it took to push Jason over the edge.

Sticky underwear, Jason realized, were not the most comfortable thing.

Nico blushed red all over and Jason decided he should probably get off of him. The younger boy opened his mouth to say something, glanced over at Jason, and let it fall shut. Jason scratched his head. What did one say after completely getting off against their—_boyfriend?_

_Made him come before defining the relationship, _Jason mused, ready to slap himself, _Way to go, Jason. _

Damn, why did both of them have to be so awkwardly silent?

"That was quite the study break," Jason said stupidly.

Nico looked at him sideways, like maybe Jason was insane. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing. Full-on hysterical laughter, tears in his eyes and everything. Jason laughed along with him, because what else was there to do at a time like this?

They laughed until Jason's sides hurt and Nico had tears all the way down his cheeks. They laughed and laughed until the awkwardness faded away.

…

After their "study break" both Jason and Nico parted ways to change their underwear. Nico couldn't stop blushing as he stripped off his pants. Thankfully they were the sweats from Jason. If they had been Leo's shorts—which Nico slept in—he may have died from embarrassment. At least he hadn't rutted against the guy he liked in said guy's best friend's shorts.

He didn't really know what to make of what had just happened. Nico definitely enjoyed it—hell, he'd practically been moaning the entire time—but he also worried that he and Jason were moving way too fast. Yes, obviously Nico liked Jason—more than liked him—but this whole thing was still unfamiliar territory for him. He was a virgin. An inexperienced virgin who had made out with all of one guy before Jason in his entire life.

Wasn't this relationship already complicated enough for Nico? Why the hell did he want to add sexual worries to that list? Sex was a big deal. A huge deal. Especially when having sex with Nico would essentially sign away any chance Jason had at making it out of this mess unscathed. Nico knew how high the stakes were, he knew what Jason was risking even better than Jason did. Nico was supposed to be the responsible one for crying out loud! How was crawling onto Jason's lap and then grinding against him until they both came at all responsible? Answer: it wasn't.

But still, Nico didn't regret it. How could he? He'd just have to be more… cautious. Fooling around in itself wasn't a bad thing, but it was the first destination on a road going nowhere good. Not for Jason. Not for either of them.

_I'll talk to him, _Nico decided, even though the idea of discussing his apprehension about sex sounded about as fun as sleeping naked in Central Park in the middle on winter.

But maybe Jason would get it. Maybe Nico could have Jason without hurting him. Maybe things could actually go right for once.

Christ, when had he become so optimistic?

…

Jason actually did try to go back to studying after that. He really did. For almost six whole minutes.

"I can't focus," he complained. "Damn you, Nico."

"What did I do?" The boy asked, pecking him on the cheek.

"Well, for one, you're standing over my chair and breathing on my neck."

"Oops?" Nico chuckled, blowing on Jason's neck because apparently Nico was out to get him.

"You're pulling me away from my studies again," Jason turned to squint meanly at him.

"No I'm not," Nico protested. Jason turned back to his book. Seconds later his chair was being dragged away from the desk. "_Now _I'm pulling you away."

"Smartass," Jason huffed.

"You couldn't focus anyway," Nico shrugged. Jason just shook his head at the boy and got to his feet, kissing him once on the lips.

"Wasn't that what you said earlier?" Jason teased. "Just one kiss?"

Nico blushed and hit Jason's arm. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something."

Jason tensed, lifting his hand to the shorter boy's cheek. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Nico reassured, "I mean, I'm fine. But uh, it's important that we talk about this." He sat at the edge of the bed. Jason plopped down beside him.

"Okay. Shoot," Jason prompted, trying not to panic. Nico said he was fine. He wasn't going to try to leave again, right?

Shit, had Jason scared him off?

But no, Nico had been smiling and flirting with him just a minute ago. That wouldn't make sense.

_Right?_

"I'm a virgin," Nico blurted.

Jason shrugged. "So am I."

Nico's hair went flying as he turned to stare at him. "Wait, you are?"

"I already told you I've never been serious about a guy. I wouldn't just have casual sex with someone."

Nico chewed his lip momentarily. "I just figured that, well, you seemed to know what you were doing so I guess I—"

Jason laughed. "I did? I've never done anything like that before."

Nico slapped his forehead. "Of course not. Just naturally seductive," Nico mused to himself.

"I'm not the only one. I do recall you crawling on to my lap."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Anyway. I brought it up because I don't want to lead you on or give you false hope or anything but—"

"You don't want to have sex." Jason guessed.

"I don't think we _should,_" Nico corrected. "Not now or anytime in the foreseeable future at least. Things are such a fucking mess right now, and when—I mean, _if_ we were to… do that, I wouldn't want to be worried about my father and the cops and this whole shitty situation. I don't want that for my first time and just… God, maybe I'm over thinking things or something. I know this conversation may be a little premature, but after what happened tonight I just—I wanted to warn you. If you want to be together… then we can't—"

"_Be together," _Jason finished.

"Yeah," Nico muttered.

Jason thought that over for all of three seconds.

"I don't mind. I've been a virgin for seventeen and a half years, being one a little longer isn't really the end of the world for me. I do agree that we have enough to worry about, but we're in this together, all right, Nico?"

"All right," the boy sighed, blushing up at Jason.

"So… what we did earlier… are you saying we can't do that again?"

The blushing intensified.

"No, I'm not saying that."

"Just no sex?"

"No sex," Nico muttered, looking down bashfully.

"It's a deal," Jason smirked.

He could wait. He would wait. It wasn't like Jason thought that Nico was ready to do that anyway. In fact, Jason may have brought up this whole conversation if the other boy hadn't. He was just happy that Nico was there, with him, trusting him to help, being open about his concerns and problems rather than bottling them up. All of that was enough for Jason.

That didn't mean that Jason didn't want Nico more than he'd ever wanted anyone in his life… but he was willing to be patient.

Nico was worth waiting for.

…

Nico tossed and turned all night long, making it nearly impossible for Jason to sleep. He pulled the smaller boy against him, placing a gentle kiss on the back of his neck.

"You okay?"

Nico sighed. "Do you honestly think we can clear my name, Jason?"

Truthfully, Jason had no idea. He didn't know how to rescue Nico's mother, he didn't know how to prove that Hades, and not Nico, was the murderer, he didn't even know how long he could keep Nico in his bedroom before his mother noticed.

But God, he knew he would do whatever it took—_whatever _it took—to do it. He wouldn't let Nico be taken from him without a fight. And if anyone tried, well, it would be one hell of a fight.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Nico," Jason promised, knowing even as he said those words that there was no guarantee that he could keep it.

"What if it's out of your hands?" He whispered.

"We are going to make it through this."

"That wasn't what I asked, Jay…"

Jason let out a deep, tired breath. "Even if it is out of my hands, I'll try. I'll fight it." He kissed Nico softly once more. "I don't really want my boyfriend to go to prison."

Nico shot up in bed. "You—you consider me your boyfriend?" The dark haired boy questioned, a smile creeping onto his face. A new, hopeful light began to fill his eyes, making Jason's heart fill with emotion a million times over. Jason hadn't even meant to use the word out loud, it just slipped out so naturally. He didn't regret it though, not for a second. He'd considered Nico his boyfriend ever since they'd confessed their feelings, but had been nervous to actually bring it up with the other boy.

"Yeah, I do. Is that not, like, okay with you? I mean, it's not like I can take you on real dates or anything but…" By the smile on his face, though, Jason was pretty sure it was perfectly okay with the Italian boy. Rather than say anything, Nico practically flung himself on top of Jason and started kissing him

Jason's hands twisted into Nico's hair, holding him close but otherwise giving Nico full power over the kiss. God, this was heaven on earth. Jason had never been so deliriously happy. How did every kiss with Nico leave Jason breathless and out of his mind? How was it that every moment they weren't touching, Jason wanted to make it so they were. How did holding hands with Nico feel more intimate than any other touch from someone else? Christ, how did Nico drive him so insane?

Nico tensed above him. "Second thoughts?" The older boy inquired, trying not to sound as worried as he actually was.

"No," Nico breathed, tracing Jason's lips with his thumb. "It's just… we're totally crazy, aren't we?"

"Insane," Jason agreed, pecking Nico on the lips.

…

"So, I know you don't have a phone or anything, but this website will let you send messages to my phone," Jason said Wednesday morning, angling his laptop so Nico could see. "You know… just in case you need to reach me. Or just, um, want to talk or something." His face felt hot.

Nico tested it out briefly, typing in a winking face and sending it to Jason's phone number. A few seconds later his phone buzzed with the message. Jason pulled Nico—his _boyfriend—_in for a kiss that was quick but not lacking in enthusiasm.

_I might be falling in love with you, _Jason thought suddenly. He shook it away.

"See you after work."

"Don't flirt with any guys," Nico joked.

"Fine with me, I guess I'll just save all my charm for you."

"I'm so honored," Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing at Jason's shirt collar.

Their lips met one final time—Jason just couldn't resist—and then he went racing out the door.

…

"You've been grinning at your cell phone for the last ten minutes," Leo informed Jason as they neared Delphi. "Something that your best friends should know?" Piper had accompanied the boys on their after school walk today. _Someone _had to help Leo comprehend Hamlet before their test Friday and Jason sure as hell didn't have the time.

And the reason he didn't have time was the same reason he had been smiling at his phone. "I don't know what you're talking about," he shrugged, hoping his undoubtedly red face could be blamed on the cold wind assaulting it.

"You and your English textbook getting pretty serious?"

Jason punched his arm.

"No, really Jase, what's the deal?" Piper asked, leaning over to inspect Jason's screen. He slid the phone into his pocket quickly. Piper didn't need to see that Jason had been messaging Nico on and off throughout the entire day.

She gave him a skeptic look. "Really, I was just uh… reading. A story. On my phone. And things were getting a little heated, okay? I don't need you reading over my shoulder." It was a complete lie, but they didn't need to know.

God, he _hated _lying to his friends. What he really wanted was to sit them down—Piper, mainly—and explain the whole situation, including Jason's new revelation: that he might be head over heels for Nico. Piper would know what to do, Piper would know what to say, she always knew.

But that was just _not _going to happen. Jason had already made it crystal clear to Nico that he would do anything he could to protect him, and telling his best friends about the relationship because he wanted to vent was not in Nico's best interest.

"Reading something dirty?" Leo wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Jason mumbled, pretending to be embarrassed.

They arrived at Delphi. "See you later, Jase!" Piper waved as her and Leo continued down the street.

…

Piper glanced over her shoulder and watched Jason disappear into the bookstore. "He was lying," she said in a quiet voice.

"How do you know?" Leo gave her a sideways glance.

"He was typing on his phone. Like he was texting, not reading."

Leo's shoulders drooped. "I sort of caught him in a lie a few days ago, too," he admitted.

"When?"

"Well, he was in a fan-tas-tic mood mood on Friday. Like, I even saw him smiling in _physics. _So I asked him why he was so happy and he told me that this Stephen King book he really liked is being adapted into a movie."

"So? Jason loves Stephen King."

"Yeah, I know. But for some reason, I felt like he wasn't being honest, so I went online and searched for news on any of Stephen King's books being adapted into movies. There was nothing."

Piper chewed her lip. "This is so unlike him. Do you think he's… seeing someone?"

Leo shrugged, "That would make complete sense, but then I dunno why he wouldn't just tell us. Unless it was like, Mr. Blowfis."

"Ugh, Leo! Don't be gross!" Piper smacked his shoulder. He laughed.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Piper sighed.

"Why me? You know more about relationship stuff than I do!" Leo argued.

"Yeah, but I used to _date _Jason. I don't think he'd be as likely to talk to me about some secret boyfriend."

"Maybe we're reading too much into this," Leo pondered. Yup, Leo, pondering. A strange day all around.

Piper let out a huge breath, "I hope we are."

…

On Thursday afternoon, Jason arrived home to find Nico sprawled across the bed, nose buried in whatever Sherlock Holmes novel he was on now. "Hey, stranger," he greeted, shutting the door tight behind him. His mother was in her room asleep, or passed out drunk, Jason wasn't sure if there was a difference with her.

Nico sat up, placing the book on the nightstand beside him. "I thought school was long when I actually _went. _It's a lot longer when you're gone and I'm stuck here," he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Let me make it up to you," Jason flashed a playful smile and crawled onto the bed. Nico happily pulled Jason against him and the two started right into the deep kisses.

"Such a kind and giving boyfriend I have," Nico chuckled as Jason moved southward to suck on the skin at Nico's collarbone. Jason swiped his tongue over the sensitive skin, causing Nico to grind against the blond.

Sucking harder, Jason coaxed Nico down onto the mattress so his head rested on the pillow. Nico moaned softly and used his hands to bring Jason back up to his lips. Meanwhile Jason had thrown one leg over to the other side of Nico, leaving the smaller boy's legs to rest between his own.

They started to move against each other, basking in the feeling of their bodies pressed together. Jason, without really meaning to, mused that the whole ordeal would be even better if they were both naked, but didn't actually suggest it. He was not going to do anything unless he was sure Nico felt comfortable with it.

They rolled over and now Nico was on top with his and Jason's legs tangled together.

There was no rule against sliding his hand down the back of Nico's sweatpants, was there?

With only the thin layer of Nico's briefs between his hand and Nico's ass, Jason had never felt more alive. Nico gasped against Jason's lips, not so much as a word of protest spilling from his mouth. Pretty soon, though, there would be definite spilling in Jason's pants. Nico grinded against the blond with complete abandon, sighing and moaning against Jason's lips as both of them drifted closer and closer to their climax.

"Fuck, _Nico,_" Jason groaned when Nico started moving with more pressure. Jason strained painfully against his jeans, his dick wanting nothing more than to break free from its prison and feel the greatness firsthand.

_Maybe next time, buddy._

"Oh God, Jason," Nico panted, getting in one last motion before he succumbed to the pleasure. Jason followed right behind him. They fell back on the mattress beside each other, breathing heavily. Jason rolled onto his side and grinned stupidly at his boyfriend. (No, he was not getting tired of using that word.)

"If we keep this up, I'm going to have to start doing laundry _way _more," Jason laughed lightly. Nico's face was bright red, though Jason didn't know if it was embarrassment or arousal.

"Poor Jason, that sounds absolutely terrible," he teased. Then, apparently in an affectionate mood, he leaned in and pecked the blond on the cheek. And then the jaw. And then the neck.

"Hey, you can't get all cuddly on me now. I still have homework."

"I thought you like cuddly Nico," he challenged, curling a leg around Jason's torso.

"I do, and you're making it very hard for me to get out of bed right now."

Nico chuckled, "Making it hard, am I?" He quirked an eyebrow in a manner that was way too seductive for Jason to handle. Seductive and embarrassed and adorable because he was embarrassed by his own skills of seduction and—God. Nico di Angelo.

"Fuck, we're not going there again. I'm going to go and change and then I'm going to do my homework and then I'll make you dinner, okay?"

"Forget about making dinner, do delivery. It's faster." Nico suggested.

"Deal. But you have to stop distracting me with your sexiness while I'm working."

Nico snorted, rolling his eyes and freeing Jason from his grip. "I don't know Jason," he mumbled, voice dripping sarcasm, "I'm pretty sexy in this plain black t-shirt and these dark stretchy pants. I look extra pale and sickly, my sexiness simply cannot stop."

"Be quiet, Gorgeous," Jason pleaded, pressing his lips against the other boy's once and then disappearing to change his underwear because yeah, said gorgeous teenage boy could be quite seductive.

…

After dinner was finished—pizza, the delivery food of choice in America—Jason and Nico ended up on the couch in the living room.

Mrs. Grace was out again—shocker of the year—and the apartment belonged to Jason and the darkly beautiful boy he was lowering onto the leather.

"No more studying for Jason Grace?" Nico mocked. "Did you finish reading every page of every textbook? So soon? I'm impressed."

"No, but you will be," Jason winked, grabbing Nico at the bend of his legs (shorts now, much more leg to work with)and pulling them around the blue eyed boy's hips.

"You get that one from a dirty fanfiction or what?" Nico laughed.

"You're being really mean to me. Maybe I'll just go to the kitchen and work on statistics."

"Here's a statistic, there's a one hundred percent chance that you're not getting up," Nico threatened.

"I don't think you understand statistics," Jason whispered.

"Kiss me, you idiot," Nico groaned, trapping Jason between his legs.

Jason smiled, "How can you say things so bluntly and then blush about it?"

"I'm a contradiction apparently."

"Perhaps you are," he muttered, fulfilling the wish and meeting Nico's waiting lips.

Jason pushed the smaller boy harder into the leather, covering every inch of Nico's body with his own. The contact drew a positive response from the paler boy, who moaned into Jason's mouth and pressed their bodies closer together. Jason was at serious risk of developing an erection if they kept this up. Again. _Again._ He locked his hands firmly in Nico's hair, keeping him in place while they kissed hungrily.

Nico rubbed his hips against Jason, resulting in a small moan escaping his lips.

Yes, Jason was certainly on his way to Erectionville. Damn Nico and his damn unknowing sexiness.

"We probably shouldn't do this," Jason mumbled, clinging tighter to the boy beneath him.

"Probably not," Nico agreed, kissing him anyway.

Jason wasn't sure how far they were going to go this time, seeing as they were on the couch in his living room, but he was more than willing to let the chips fall where they may.

And then the front door swung open.

"Hey Jason, you know your spare key is still under the—what the _fuck!?_"

Leo Valdez.

Jason and Nico sprung apart as fast as they could, reacting as if it was the police, and not a seventeen year old Latino boy, who had come through the door.

Jason looked between Nico and Leo in a moment of utter horror. This—this was bad. No, bad didn't begin to cover it. A nightmare. An absolute _nightmare. _And Jason couldn't wake up.

Nico was immobile, unmoving and staring at Leo with wide and terrified eyes.

Leo, on the other hand…

How to describe Leo?

He may have been on the verge of screaming, or passing out, or maybe all ability to reason had fled from his mind and he would stand there in the doorway for the rest of his life wearing a face of complete and utter shock.

"Uh, I can explain?" Jason said uncertainly, still trying to gauge the situation. Leo's eyes wandered from Nico to Jason and back to Nico again.

Another moment of silence. Then, after what felt like decades, centuries, a millennia, Leo finally spoke. "Well, I just lost a bet."


	10. It's Not What It Looks Like

_A/N: Sorry this is a few hours late. Halloween tonight so I didn't get home until 2:00am and still had some editing to do. That being said, I'm barely awake and probably didn't catch every grammar mistake. Sorry! And also sorry that this is sort of a transition chapter… Hope you enjoy anyway!_

* * *

**CH. 10—It's Not What It Looks Like (Except, It Sorta Is)**

"So, is this the part where you tell me that this 'isn't what it looks like?'" Leo prompted after a good fifteen seconds of silence and staring. "Or I'm actually asleep or something."

Jason scratched his head, shooting Nico a panicked look. Not that Nico noticed. Since pushing away from Jason, Nico di Angelo might not have moved a single muscle. Terror was clear in his posture. Because, of course, this particular murder suspect was even more afraid of society than society was of him.

"It's, uh, pretty much what it looks like," Jason admitted, examining the carpet.

"I see," Leo said in a high, strung-out voice. Jason wondered if he was going to pass out. "So, one more question…_are you fucking insane, Jason!?_"

Nico shrunk back. Jason wanted to take his hand or something, comfort him in any way, but figured that now probably wouldn't be the best time for that.

"It is what it looks like, but it's not what you think," Jason said, standing from the couch. "Just—just let me explain, okay?"

"Explain what? At what point you lost your _mind? _Do you ever turn on the news, Jason? Ever?" Leo's voice was getting more and more worked up.

"I just need you to calm down and listen for a minute, Leo," Jason reasoned. "Sit down, okay? We'll talk."

"Sit down? On the couch? Where you were just making out with a _murderer?_"

"Right here, you know," Nico rolled his eyes, slipping back into his old defense mechanism. Jason knew it well, Nico played the villain because everyone already assumed he was anyway. It hurt Jason to see that wall back up.

"Are you going to kill me?" Leo asked.

"Jesus, Leo! Get a grip. No one here is a killer!"

"Oh _really?_" Leo shouted, stabbing his finger in Nico's direction.

"Ass on the couch, Leo!" Jason yelled back. Leo may not have known better, but he was still asking to get slapped. "Shut your mouth for one fucking minute."

Nico scooted over politely to give Leo his space. The Latino boy gave Jason a look that read _are you serious right now_ and sat as far away from Nico as the couch would allow.

"I better hear the best damn explanation in the world."

…

Nico kept switching his focus. One moment his eyes would follow Jason, yearning to reach out to him and take comfort in his presence. The next he'd be back to studying the boy he'd seen and heard, but never actually talked to. Leo Valdez, Jason's so-called best friend.

It was safe to say that Leo Valdez was not a part of the tiny minority that believed in Nico's innocence. Whatever. _Joke's on you, I'm dating your best friend. _

But as much as he tried to be calm, Nico felt the stirrings of a panic attack. Someone else knew now. Damn Leo Valdez and damn the damn spare key under the mat. What a stupid fucking place to keep your spare key.

But Jason had told Nico that he wouldn't let anyone anything happen to Nico. And sure, Jason couldn't actually guarantee that, but he certainly wouldn't let his best friend call the cops, right? Jason would talk reason into him. He'd convince Leo not to say anything.

God, he _had _to. Nico was not going to be arrested because some dumb teenager opened his mouth.

"The first thing you should know is that Nico didn't kill anyone, he's innocent," Jason said gently.

Leo glared sideways at Nico, "Yeah, I'm sure he told you that. Probably said he was a proper angel."

"His father, Hades, he's violent. He used to hurt Nico and sometimes Bianca. Things got out of hand one night. He killed Bianca, not Nico. I know you don't want to believe what I'm telling you, but it's the truth."

A very watered down version of the truth, but Nico was grateful for that. He didn't want this boy knowing all of his darkest secrets.

"And how can you be so sure of that?" Leo asked.

"Well, I _am _a shitty liar," Nico chimed in, struggling to keep his voice flat and not hint at how panicky he was. "A shitty liar with these," he turned his back to the boys and pulled his shirt up, showing something that even Jason hadn't seen before.

A back blemished by old, subtle scars. Mostly made by his father's belt. _Mostly._ Jason sucked in a breath and Nico let the shirt fall, suddenly feeling far too exposed. Jason was one thing, Leo was a stranger.

A stranger who seemed unsure of what to say.

"Okay, abusive father, sure," Leo finally conceded, "But that doesn't exactly account for the fingerprints all over the murder weapon."

Jason glanced sadly at Nico, asking for permission with his eyes.

"Tell him," Nico mumbled. "Not like we have much of a choice."

So Jason did. Though, to his credit, he left out some of the most personal parts. His father making him choose between Bianca and his mother, choosing to save Bianca.

"So Neeks here didn't actually kill his sister, is what you're trying to tell me you believe."

"I don't believe, I _know, _Leo."

The Latino turned to Nico.

"But why would your father kill your sister intentionally if she was his favorite?" Leo prodded.

Nico barely stopped himself from flinching. Why the hell did Leo have to ask him a question directly?

"Because he's a sick and twisted bastard who wanted to punish me for existing. I don't fucking know, you want me to send him an email or something?" Nico snapped. "And don't call me 'Neeks' ever again."

"Well, you're a pleasant guy." Leo frowned at his best friend, "Really Jase? He seems kind of homicidal to me."

Pleasant? Was Nico not _pleasant _enough for a kid who'd been forced watch his own father stab his sister multiple times? "Do you want me to be homicidal? Because I can make an exception in your case," he narrowed his eyes.

"_Nico_," Jason chided. Nico rolled his eyes. What did Jason expect him to do?

_Sit there quietly and hope Leo doesn't decide to call the cops, idiot. _The voice of reason reminded.

_Oh, right._

Nico tried for a smile and—nope, smile definitely wasn't happening. He just grimaced at the wall quietly instead.

"Leo," Jason pleaded, "I need you to trust me on this. Nico's father is framing him. Do you really think I'd be letting Nico stay here if I didn't believe him? He's been here a month and look, I'm alive. Fuck what the newspapers say, believe _me._"

"I'm trying, Jase. You're my best friend, I trust your judgment, but this is kind of a lot to take in and… did you say he's been here for a month?"

"How long has it been, Nico?" Jason asked, giving the boy a gentle smile. Nico honestly hadn't paid much attention to the individual days. He didn't want to know how many days had passed since Bianca's death. Though, he definitely thought Jason found him on a Tuesday. How many episodes of Supernatural ago was that?

"Like, a month and a few days," Nico shrugged.

Leo scrutinized the dark haired boy for a moment. "So… you're his—what exactly?"

Nico stuttered awkwardly.

"He's my boyfriend," Jason said matter-of-factly, a grin finding its way to his face.

Nico couldn't help but smile with him. "I'm his boyfriend," he confirmed.

It was official. Someone else in the world knew about Jason and Nico. This was actually real.

"So _you're_ the English textbook," Leo said, which Nico guessed was a reference to something, but he still didn't understand anything that came out of this boy's mouth. Mild-mannered Jason was best friends with a lunatic and dating a criminal. Wow, maybe there _was_ a flaw or two in all that perfection.

"Leo, you can't say _anything. _Please. No one knows. You can't even tell Piper. It's dangerous for everyone involved if Nico is found."

Leo looked back and forth between the two boys again and heaved a great sigh, "Fine, date your wanted criminal who apparently isn't a criminal. I would never say anything, Jase. Not if it'd hurt you or get you into trouble. _But,_" he jabbed his finger at Jason, "I ever catch you lying to me again I'm making copies of your spare key and handing them out to homeless people."

"Actually, you're handing back the spare key right now and never using it again because there are these magical things called cell phones and knocking," Jason corrected.

Leo hung his head and handed back the key. "So we're definitely rejecting the Neeks nickname then?" He asked, swerving to face Nico.

"We're not friends."

"Well, not yet, but we'll work on it. I mean, you know, since you're dating my best friend and all."

Nico scowled at Jason, "I didn't sign up for this."

The blond chuckled and stole a kiss on Nico's cheek, "Leo isn't as obnoxious as he seems, usually."

Nico would have been happy to guide Jason down to his lips and kiss him all night long, if not for Leo being there.

"Obnoxious isn't the word I'd use," he grumbled.

"I think you're going to warm up to me," Leo proclaimed.

"So will Antarctica, eventually," he retorted.

The Latino boy clutched at his chest. "Nico! You wound me!"

"You must piss him off, Leo. Nico's actually a softie most of the time," Jason smirked.

"Please, spare me the details," Leo groaned. "Can I get off of your make out couch now? I feel dirty."

"Yes, please get off the couch," Nico invited.

"See, you're warming up to me already! Pretty soon we'll be braiding each other's hair, having sleepovers…"

"Stop talking."

Leo pouted. "He's kind of feisty. And small. Is this your way of telling me that _I'm_ your type, Jason?"

Nico didn't _mean _to shoot Leo the murder eyes.

Probably.

Still, he felt the sudden urge to wrap his arms around the blond's torso and hiss in Leo's direction.

"You're an idiot, Leo," Jason sighed. Nico couldn't agree more. He wasn't jealous of Leo per se, that would be stupid. Leo was a straight dumbass who was best friends with Jason. No competition there. But the comment did get Nico thinking about if Jason _did _have a type, and how well Nico would fit into that description. "What were you doing just waltzing into my apartment in the first place? Unannounced? At night? After I told you to stop just taking my key?"

Leo gave an ashamed half-smile, "Oh, I was supposed to interrogate you. Piper and I kind of think you've been acting shifty. Shit, I'm going to need to figure out what to say to Pipes."

Jason groaned.

Leo's eyes shifted back to the youngest boy.

"Hey, uh, is Nico wearing my shorts?"

…

"Bye, Leo, see you in the morning," Jason called, finally shoving Leo out the door.

"Yeah, see ya Jaso—" The door shut in his face.

Jason let out a relieved sigh. After getting a little more comfortable about the situation, Leo had taken to asking Nico a million and one questions about what happened while he was on the streets. He'd been pretty bummed to learn that Nico hadn't grappled with any sewer alligators. While Jason appreciated that Leo seemed to be accepting Nico, he couldn't say that the latter shared the sentiment. Nico answered Leo's questions with annoyance and even sometimes downright hostility, and that was why after fifteen minutes Jason had decided it was time for Leo to go.

"_That _is your best friend?" Nico rubbed his temple.

"Ah, Leo just takes a little getting used to. He's actually really cool," Jason assured, returning to his boyfriend. He could still barely believe it. Someone knew, not just that Nico was in Jason's home, but that they were _together_. And, while Leo may have severely freaked out about it at first, he seemed to more or less accept it.

"He's insufferable."

"Well, a lot of getting used to. I wish you could have met him under better circumstances."

"You should really consider finding a new place for your key," Nico suggested, scooting closer to the blond. Jason's heart thumped loudly in his chest, like just being around Nico turned up the volume of his heartbeats to full blast.

"I definitely should," Jason agreed, kissing Nico's cheek. The boy still seemed on edge, though.

"He's not going to tell anyone, Nico. We can trust him," he promised, brushing his fingers through Nico's hair.

"Maybe he won't _mean _to tell anyone. But, well, it's one more person who could slip up. Make a mistake. And one more person who could get hurt for it. He's putting his ass on the line for me," Nico mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Jason's neck. Jason looped his arms around him.

"He's putting his ass on the line for both of us. He knows what could happen if things don't end well."

Jason had never considered keeping Nico's secret a burden. But of course, why would he? He wanted to be with Nico, he was crazy about him. He might have even loved him. Jason didn't care about putting himself in danger to help Nico. He'd do it in a heartbeat.

But Leo? Leo never needed to be involved in this. Leo hadn't found Nico in the streets. Leo hadn't taken Nico in and developed feelings for him. Leo got pulled into this mess because he was friends with Jason. Leo hadn't even had a choice.

Jason had a choice. Jason could have believed the news. Turned Nico in. Went home and went on with his life. But he had chosen a different path. He had _chosen _the harder one.

Leo didn't have an out. If he turned Nico in, then Jason, Leo's best friend, would be caught harboring a wanted murderer. If he kept the secret, then Leo was also helping to conceal a wanted murderer.

And _that—_knowing that Leo could get hurt from all of this, hurt protecting Jason—was Jason's burden to carry.

God, why did that fucking idiot just feel the need to barge in places whenever he pleased? Now he could get hurt because of his lack of a brain.

Was that how Nico felt about Jason?

As if reading his mind, Nico pulled Jason tighter against him. "I know that look. That's the I feel like shit look."

Jason pecked a kiss on the shorter boy's nose and hugged him tightly. "I wish he didn't have to be involved in this. But you know, it does kind of feel good to have someone know about us."

"Oh yeah, that went great. 'Hey, Leo, meet my psychopath murderer boyfriend!'" Nico rolled his big dark eyes at Jason.

"Sometimes I think you forget that you didn't actually murder anyone."

"Didn't I?" Nico whispered.

"Stop doing that. You torture yourself."

Jason decided it was a good time to change the subject, so he leaned Nico against the door and brought their lips together in a searing kiss.

Nico di Angelo wasn't the only person capable of providing effective distractions.

…

Leo stood waiting for Jason outside of his apartment building with a knowing smile the following morning. "Did you say goodbye to your English textbook—OW!" He yelped as Jason slapped him upside the head.

"That's for using the key and barging in unannounced."

"I guess I deserve that."

"Yeah, you do." Jason did it again.

"OW! Fuck, Jason! What was that one for?" Leo demanded, rubbing at the back of his head.

"For barging in unannounced. While I was making out with my boyfriend."

Leo frowned, "Are you going to hit me again?"

"No," Jason sighed, "But I am still mad at you."

"I won't say anything, Jase. I mean it. I really do. I'm not _that _much of a bonehead."

"Are you sure about that?" Jason asked as they rounded the corner.

"Watch it, Grace. Look, I trust you. You're my best friend. And I may not trust _him_ exactly, but I do believe him. Seems to me that if he wanted to kill someone, he'd just sass them to death—OW! _Jason!_"

"You were asking for it that time," Jason smirked. Leo held his hand to his head protectively.

"Note to self, no jokes about the English Textbook."

"Stop calling him that," Jason rolled his eyes. "He has a name, you know."

"Oh, you'd rather me call him by name? On these streets?" Leo gestured around them, where people were talking on phones and crossing the street and hailing cabs and hurrying to work.

"Point taken."

"Dude, I still can't believe it. You and him. The two of you. _Together. _I mean, I heard rumors that he swung that way, but what _haven't _I heard a rumor about?"

"It's almost like you're enjoying this," Jason observed.

"Well, I'm not sure what my thoughts are on your secret boyfriends thing, but it _is_ kind of funny in a fucked-up way. I mean, I never in a million years would have guessed that you and him would—"

"Shut up," Jason snapped, "And it's not funny, either. The guy I lo—_like _could be arrested if the cops find him, and even worse if his father does."

"Were you just about to say love?" Leo asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

"No," Jason answered a little too quickly. Leo inclined an eyebrow but let the subject drop.

"And I wasn't saying that his situation is funny. It's funny that boring 'I just want to stay at home and read' Jason has been keeping scandalous secrets and engaging in forbidden love affairs."

"Still not laughing," Jason huffed.

"And you've got it _so_ bad for him, too. I mean, you two were _all _over each other. My eyes cannot un-see the couch encounter, you know."

"That'll teach you the importance of knocking," Jason said harshly. Then he tried not to blush because Leo was right, Jason did have it "so bad" for Nico.

"So he's been in your apartment for a month?"

Jason nodded, "Yeah. Remember the day where I stopped by Delphi before school to get the new book? I found him on the way home from work."

Leo shook his head, "Jase, you do realize how stupid you were to just pluck him up off the street, right? What if he really had been a killer?"

"I trusted him then, I trust him now. You just don't know him like I do."

"We talking in the Biblical sense? Because I don't think I want to _know him _like that," Leo shared.

Jason couldn't stop the blush. "You're sick! That's not what I meant. We haven't even…"

"Had sex? In a month? What, are you nuns?" The shorter boy scoffed.

Jason flushed an even deeper red, though he wasn't sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger."We haven't been together the entire time, Leo! We didn't even really get along at first, for crying out loud."

"You sure seem to be getting along now…"

"We literally kissed for the first time two weeks ago. Excuse me for not rushing to have sex with an emotionally traumatized teenage boy who thinks he's going to indirectly kill me," Jason blurted.

"Wait, what?" Leo snapped to attention.

"Long story," he dismissed.

"Don't 'long story' me. I thought I told you no more lying."

The taller boy shrugged, "I prefer to think of this as selective sharing. Look, it doesn't matter. It's just, well, people close to Nico have a habit of getting hurt."

"You sure you know what you're doing, Jase?" Leo gave him a skeptic look. "You know I'm the guy who would drive your getaway car if you decided to rob a bank, but this—this is some serious stuff, man."

Did Jason know that Hades was a dangerous man? Yes, obviously. Did he know that he should be wary of the di Angelo patriarch? Naturally. Did Jason actually think that he was putting himself in danger? Possibly. Was he afraid? Not at all.

"I'm positive, Leo. Now, more important matters… what exactly are you going to say to Piper?"

…

**How was your test this morning? **Nico messaged after the bell signaling the end of fourth period rang.

_**Easy enough. But for some reason I kept getting distracted ;)**_

**Sounds like a personal problem, **Nico teased. Jason wished that it could be the end of the day already and not just lunch.

_**Maybe if you just learned not to make it so hard for me to focus and study… **_Jason sent back, barely looking up as he navigated the halls.

**Maybe I like to make it hard ;)**

Jason's face flushed with heat. _**Stop flirting with me! I'm in school.**_

**:) See you later, Jason**

"You're blushing like a schoolgirl," Leo chuckled as he took his seat at their lunch table.

"Am not," Jason protested.

"_Who do you think you're kidding, he's the earth and heaven to you." _The curly haired boy sang.

"This isn't Hercules. Piss off."

"On the contrary, I think your life is becoming one big musical. The question is, are you the prince or the princess?"

"I'm going to kill you," Jason groaned.

"_Try to keep it hidden, honey, we can see right through you. Girl you can't deny it."_

"You're ridiculous."

"_We know how you feel and who you're thinking of."_

"What's he going on about today?" Piper asked, plopping down in the seat across from Jason and Leo.

"What is Leo ever going on about?" Jason laughed, hoping he didn't sound nervous.

"Good point. So what are you doing this weekend?"

Jason shrugged. _You know, probably making out with my secret boyfriend, maybe even a little more than that if I'm lucky._

"I'm asking on behalf of Mitchell. He's on spring break next week like us. He's getting here tomorrow afternoon and he's going to be here all week. He wants to see you."

Leo choked on his water, spitting half of it onto the table.

"Ugh, Leo! Gross!" Piper whined.

Jason barely noticed. Mitchell. Mitchell was coming to town. Mitchell—who had ended up having a pretty heated make-out session with Jason the last time they were around each other—wanted to see Jason.

A month and a half ago, this may have been good news. Piper's cousin was cute enough, dark hair, sarcastic smile, a nice, lean body (Shit, maybe Jason _did _have a type). But this wasn't a month and a half ago. Jason had Nico and he certainly didn't want to see anyone else. He and Mitchell had only had a thing for the short event that was Piper's family reunion and that had been that. The boys lived on opposite sides of the country and the attraction was mostly physical anyway if Jason was being honest.

"He wants to see me?" Jason repeated. Leo looked either ready to laugh or start choking all over again.

"Yeah, so I told him that maybe tomorrow night or Sunday we could hang out, go see a movie or something."

"I don't know, Pipes. I mean, I think it'd be kind of awkward. And Thalia is going to be in town too for a few days so I'll want to see her, of course. I don't really know how I feel about seeing Mitchell."

_Because I have a boyfriend and I might be head over heels for him._

"But—I thought you two kind of hit it off…" Piper frowned a little.

"I don't know."

Leo decided to intervene, thankfully. "Come on, Pipes, he is your cousin. And you and Jason used to date. And now you're best friends. I think that would be weird. If Mitch and Jase were like, a thing. And he lives in Los Angeles."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, that's the other side of the country. Trust me, I would know."

"But we could still all hang out, it doesn't have to be like a romantic thing," Piper clarified, unscrewing the top on her water bottle.

"I'll think about it," he sighed.

He wasn't going to think about it.

Jason's phone vibrated in his pocket again. Hadn't Nico just said goodbye? Did he sense that another guy was trying to slip into the picture?

But no, it was just a text from his mother.

**Spending a few nights at a friend's house in East Village. When I get home I want laundry done and the floor vacuumed. The house is a mess. **

Jason huffed and placed his phone down on the table harder than necessary. "My mom pisses me off."

Piper and Leo gave him sympathetic frowns. They knew what Jason went through with his mother. There had been so many times over the past years that Jason had just considered moving out. Getting emancipated. Running away and leaving her to her own devices.

But he just… couldn't bring himself to do it. Jason was the only form of authority in his mother's life, the only one who bothered to even try and keep her the littlest bit in line. The one who helped get her to the hospital the time she nearly died from alcohol poisoning last winter.

It was almost humorous. Jason's family was one of the biggest factors that made Jason want to leave New York, but it was also one of the only things holding him there.

No, that was a lie. Someone else had been tethering Jason to New York as of late, a certain Nico di Angelo and his brooding dark eyes.

Actually, that gave Jason an idea.

…

Nico may or may not have been listening intently for the sound of the door, signaling Jason's return home from school. It was already after four, but Jason had sent him a text warning that he would be a little late. Still, how late was a little? Nico had started to get jittery, a side effect of spending too much time alone. Sometimes he wondered if Jason was the only glue holding all of his broken pieces together. Jason and his stupid tendency to hope.

This must have been what it felt like to be a drug addict, Nico mused. Always needing a hit, getting shaky when he went too long without it. Yeah, Nico was definitely becoming a Jason addict. Damn it, there was no way this was healthy.

_Stop. Stop. Stop._

God, if Jason was a drug then he had to be the best drug in the world. Like a drug that cured cancer or something. Yup, because that made complete sense.

Why did it just have to feel so damn good when Nico was around the blond haired boy? Why did Nico feel so light and happy and optimistic when Jason held him in his arms? Honestly, it was so fucking cliché. Nico was the desperate teenage girl in some shitty paranormal romance novel, waiting for hbpyfriend to come around like some pathetic needy girlfriend.

Nico finally heard the sound of footsteps in the living room and a door being shut. The faint jingle of keys falling onto a table.

_Stay cool, di Angelo._

It sounded like Jason had stopped in the kitchen for some reason. Nico waited like the patient and totally not obsessed person he liked to believe he was. Finally, _finally, _the footsteps moved toward the hallway leading to Jason's room, each footfall on the hardwood making Nico's heart thud _that _much harder in his chest. Perhaps his heart desired to break out entirely and go live in Jason's chest instead. At least, that was how his madly beating heart was acting.

The bedroom door had just barely started to open inward when Nico yanked the object of his affection in by the collar and slammed the door shut once more. "Hey Nic—" The blue eyed boy's greeting was silenced as Nico crashed his lips against Jason's.

Okay, maybe Nico was a little eager this afternoon. He'd dwell on that later.

There was a gentle thud as Jason released whatever he had been holding and instead wrapped his arms around Nico's thinner frame. God, Jason Grace's lips were sinful. Sure, Nico didn't have a long list of past guys to compare Jason to, but he didn't need a list to prove that his boyfriend—he was still getting used to that word applying to Jason—was an exceptional kisser. He didn't possess that same awkward uncertainty that Nico often seemed to struggle with. Jason always knew where to place his hands, how to maneuver his tongue, when to pull back and let Nico catch his breath. The fact that Jason claimed to have little experience with this stuff only made matters worse, because that meant this guy was just a fucking natural and God only knew how crazy he could drive Nico with a little more practice. Damn perfect Jason Grace.

"I like forward Nico," Jason chuckled when the kiss broke, sounding maybe a little breathier than usual. The younger boy, having lost the earlier burst of confidence, felt his face get hot.

"I uh… happy spring break," he mumbled.

"I have a surprise for you," Jason announced. "Well, kind of a surprise. For later. But first…" he brought his lips back to Nico's. Nico almost got lost in the kiss all over again before he processed the words.

"A surprise?" He tried to pull away only to have the blond chasing after his mouth, planting kiss after kiss on Nico's lips.

"Later," Jason insisted, quitting on the small kisses and going instead for a deeper one. Seeming to realize that they were still standing by the door, Jason started to move in the direction of the bed, maintaining the kiss the entire time. Nico tried not to focus on the never lessening surreal feeling of Jason kissing him. After two whole weeks of this, it had come to the point where Nico could be pretty sure that this wasn't all some elaborate dream. Even his brain couldn't think up someone this amazing. Nico had always dominated in the shitty luck department. His entire life had been crappy thing after crappy thing thrown at him. But this? A guy just as gorgeous on the inside as he was on the outside who for reasons unknown wanted Nico as his boyfriend? Nico could hardly believe that something like this would ever happen to a guy like him. Which only begged the question, _why me? _But no—Nico was not going to dwell on that any more for now because now Jason was on top on him and kissing him like his life depended on it and honestly, Nico could barely manage coherent thoughts.

Fifteen minutes and a new pair of underwear later, the little make-out session came to an end. "I got you something on my way home today," Jason announced, returning to whatever it was he'd dropped by the bedroom door. Nico now realized it was a shopping bag.

"Oh no, what did you do?" The Italian boy sighed.

"Put this on," Jason thrust the bag at him.

"Jason, I swear if this is some kinky fucking costume I'll—"

Blue eyes fell shut while Jason laughed. "No, no. I promise it's perfectly innocent. Tonight," he declared, pecking Nico once on the lips, "Is our first date, we will be going out to a very glamorous place called my kitchen and then we'll catch a movie in my living room."

"How romantic." Nico just shook his head at the boy, and maybe he was smiling but that didn't mean he thought Jason's idea was cute. No, Jason was a dork. Nico was not pulled in by his adorable little sentiments because that would mean Nico was a complete mushball and Nico was _not _a mushball.

Okay, maybe he kind of was, but that didn't mean he needed to let Jason know.

"Wear the clothes," Jason repeated, and this time Nico grudgingly took the bag.

"Anything else?" He asked.

"You aren't allowed to leave the room until I come pick you up for our date."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Where's your mom?"

"Apparently not home this weekend." Nico wasn't sure how to feel about the mischievous glint in his boyfriend's eyes.

"Oh," Nico nodded. "Well, I guess I better shower or whatever. You know, for our date."

The smirk that had been resting on Jason's lips turned into a full smile. "See you later, cutie."

"Don't call me that," Nico shoved him, which somehow earned him another one of Jason's kisses.

"Whatever you say, Nico."

The dark-haired boy blushed.


	11. Dating di Angelo

**CH. 11—Dating di Angelo (Well, Kind Of)**

While their dinner finished cooking, Jason dressed in Thalia's former bedroom. He buttoned his shirt—a light blue dress shirt he couldn't actually remember ever wearing—and wondered why his hands were shaking so much. It was just Nico. They'd shared a bed for the last two weeks, for crying out loud! The two of them had been eating dinner together for a month. He shouldn't be so nervous about eating dinner with Nico just because it was now being called something else. Not to mention the fact that this had been Jason's idea to begin with.

Of course, it didn't help that Jason was absolutely fucking crazy about this guy.

And, well—that did nothing to calm his nerves.

Jason was completely aware that Nico might be right, maybe he was a reckless idiot. But even if that were so, even with so much on the line, Jason couldn't turn back. He didn't want to.

So, fucked up situation or not, Jason and Nico were going to go on a date, damn it.

_Then stop being so panicky, nimrod. _

He tucked the shirt into his pants—they were doing this date right—and took a deep breath before going to finish dinner.

…

The unruly mess that Nico grudgingly had to call his hair simply would not cooperate with him. Worrying about it lately hadn't exactly been a priority. But now? Now he was about to go on a stupid sorta date with his stupid sorta boyfriend and he was wearing a black dress shirt and black pants and he may have even looked half-handsome if it weren't for the fucking mop on his head. He'd already been nearing haircut time before he ran away. And that was, what?

Nearly seven weeks ago.

Bianca had been dead for over six weeks.

Nico leaned against the mirror, breathing deeply.

On one hand, it felt like a lifetime. On the other, it seemed like only yesterday. He'd been homeless, terrified, nearly too depressed to carry on. He'd been freezing, hungry, and completely, utterly alone. And then he hadn't been. Then suddenly, like a supernova exploding into his life, came Jason. And despite his efforts, Nico had developed feelings for him. Strong feelings. Frighteningly strong.

When he'd told Jason they were crazy, he'd meant it whole heartedly. Nico—Nico had lost his mind over this boy. Out of all the fucked up things that Nico had to stress over, all of the problems he couldn't overcome, all he could think about was Jason. Jason calling Nico his boyfriend. Jason promising to fight to keep Nico by his side. Jason's hands as they moved from his hair and down his back, making his whole body shiver. Jason whispering in his ear, "Don't leave me, Nico. Please don't leave me," like he had last night as they'd fallen asleep. It had made Nico feel… something.

This feeling stirring inside of him, he'd felt it that night Jason called him his boyfriend. He'd felt it when Jason told Nico he was okay with not having sex. He'd certainly felt it when Jason arrived home this afternoon.

And he finally realized what it was.

Just like that, the ground appeared out of the darkness and Nico crashed into it with the force of an asteroid.

And Nico realized he wasn't actually falling for Jason.

He had already fallen. Hard. With so much force that every bone in his body felt shattered. He didn't know if he could ever get up, if he even wanted to…

He, Nico di Angelo, was in love with Jason Grace.

The feeling, the unidentifiable feeling, was love. Not love for a mother or a sister or a friend. Head-spinning, heart-racing, stomach-turning love.

And Nico felt equally elated and sick about it.

How could he have the one person who he loved more than anything taken from his life only to have a new love sneak in and take root. How could he possibly love Jason?

There was a knock at the bedroom door. A second later, a blond head poked into the room and grinned widely.

Oh God, how could he _not _love him?

"Wow, you look great," Jason exclaimed, looking Nico up and down as he stepped all the way into the room. The younger boy blushed.

"Look at my hair, I look ridiculous," he complained. His eyes lingered on Jason, "Unlike you." Shit, Jason was sexy. How had Nico ever managed to get the gorgeous boy's attention?

_Sleeping under his nose, _pessimistic Nico thought.

"You don't look ridiculous," the blue-eyed boy promised. "But—" he came forward, running his fingers along Nico's hips. Nico swallowed a pleasured groan.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

Jason smirked, gathering the hem of Nico's black shirt and tucking it into his pants. Then he let his hands linger there for a moment, _in _Nico's pants.

_Holy fucking hell._

"Now you look even better," he chuckled, stealing a quick kiss. "Ready?"

The dark haired boy shuddered, suddenly unsure if he wanted the whole date thing. Now his heart was set on getting Jason's hands back in his pants.

The hands of the boy he loved. _Fuck._

Out loud he said, "You this forward with all your first dates, Grace?"

"Well, I'd say we're pretty… familiar with each other," the taller boy stated, gliding his fingers up Nico's torso.

"Are you _trying _to seduce me?" The smaller boy questioned, hating how unsteady his voice sounded.

"Sorry," Jason blushed, "Let's get out of our bedroom, maybe?"

_Our bedroom, as in both of us? _

"That may be wise. It _is_ only our first date, I can't have you thinking I'm easy," Nico teased, trying to brush off what Jason had implied.

"Wow" was all he could say as Jason led him into the living room. The lights in the living room were dimmed—fucking rich people—and there were candles lit everywhere. The kitchen was equally romantically lit and the table set with fancy plates that Nico hadn't seen Jason use before. The twilight sky glowed through every window. Somehow, Jason had actually made the apartment feel like a different place.

"I know it's not, like, an actual restaurant, but I hope it will do."

"You never get tired of being amazing, do you?" Nico sighed, pulling the blond to him for a brief kiss.

"Always happy to amaze," he smirked.

Dinner was grilled lemon and herb chicken that Jason insisted wasn't store bought that way, Italian bread, mashed potatoes, and cooked vegetables. Nico had never been aware that grilled zucchini was so delicious.

"So," Nico prompted, cutting off a piece of his chicken, "Tell me, is there anything you aren't good at?"

Jason flashed a toothy smile, "I'm a pretty awful singer. Piper says I make her ears sad."

Nico tried not to frown at the mention of Piper. They were just friends. He shouldn't be jealous. Yeah, they'd dated before, but Jason was gay. Jason didn't like girls, he liked Nico.

Except, Piper was beautiful, probably a lot more likeable than Nico, and most importantly, she didn't come with half as much baggage.

And yet, Nico was the one sitting at Jason's kitchen table on a date with him on a Friday night, not Piper. That had to mean something, right?

"Can't sing? I'm afraid that's too much, Jason. I'm leaving you and your flawed self," he rolled his brown eyes at his boyfriend.

"You know, I wish you wouldn't act like I can do no wrong. It's going to make me feel like shit when I mess up," Jason admitted, eyes serious. "I'm only human, you know."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Jason shook his head. "I'll have you know, the second boy I ever kissed realized he was straight after kissing me." Nico choked on a mouthful of bread.

"You're serious?" He sputtered in disbelief. _Jason _was the second boy Nico had ever kissed, and it hadn't made him want to change teams.

"You probably wouldn't know him. We played football together, and summer after freshman year, I already knew I was gay at this point, I'd even broken up with Piper, Jake and I—Jake Mason was the guy—were just throwing a ball around. I didn't like football anymore by this time, but I liked hanging out with Jake. He confided in me that day that he was thinking of breaking up with his girlfriend, too. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be with girls. So, I stupidly decided to kiss him. And you know what, he decided he didn't want to break up with his girlfriend after all. Never talked to me again. At the end of sophomore year his family moved to Boston."

"What an asshole," Nico exclaimed, surprised to find that he wasn't the least bit jealous that Jason had kissed more boys than Nico. At least Luke, the only other guy Nico had kissed, hadn't been a complete jerk. "And an idiot."

Jason smiled and shrugged, "It's no big deal. I got over it. We wouldn't have worked out even if he _was_ gay, he didn't like Casablanca."

The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes. Then, unable to stop himself he asked, "So I get that you haven't had a boyfriend, but how many guys did you actually, you know…"

"Kiss?" Jason prompted. "Three. None of them were special."

"So who were the other two? It's only fair, since you know a bit about the other guy _I_ kissed."

Jason tore off a chunk of bread. "The first guy's name was Apollo. It was sort of like the Jake situation, I guess. I'm kind of ashamed because I was still technically dating Piper. But I was at this party and I think he sensed the gay on me. We started flirting and he asked if my girlfriend knew I liked boys. I said I'd never actually kissed a boy before, as if that somehow made me straight. Apollo was eighteen, but that didn't seem to deter him. So he kissed me. It was really awkward, I had no idea what I was doing, but I definitely knew I was gay after. Piper and I broke up not long after that." The blond blushed.

"The third guy was actually Piper's cousin, Mitchell. At their family reunion. We were bored, we made out. Nothing special. At least your guy was special to you, right?"

Nico's heart lurched. The icy blue eyes, the lean, long body, the way he and Nico would kiss. _Luke. _He would never forgive himself for what happened to Luke. "Yeah, Luke was… special, I guess. Though, not as much as you," he admitted, joining Jason in the blushing game.

"How did you meet him—Luke?"

Nico swallowed hard. Jason deserved to know, as much as Nico wished he didn't have to talk about it.

"At my middle school, we were all assigned a high school mentor on the last day of eighth grade. A rising senior at the neighborhood high school who we were supposed to get to know over the summer so we could go into school without being so frightened or whatever. Mine was… Luke." Jason raised his eyebrows. "Don't look at me like that Jason, he was seventeen, his birthday wasn't until May."

"Hey, who am I to judge? I kissed an eighteen year old when I was fourteen. I guess I'm just surprised that your mentor put the moves on you."

Nico had been surprised, too. Luke was attractive, confident, and everyone seemed to like him. Scrawny fourteen year old Nico never imagined that Luke would go for someone like him. And yet—

"I know how it sounds, but it wasn't like that. Hey, maybe I was a little surprised when my _seemingly uninterested secret roommate_ put the moves on me…"

Jason laughed. "Okay, you got me. Continue."

"Anyway, we would just hang out casually, like friends. Luke would talk about high school, he was on the soccer team. And bisexual, which apparently had made some of his teammates feel weird around him. He knew I wasn't straight before I could even admit it to myself. But, well, he liked girls _and _boys and things were okay for him. I started to feel like things could be okay for me, too. So, one day, he brings me to one of those public fields and teaches me a few things about soccer. I could have cared less about kicking a ball across a field, but he was really excited about it, and that made me excited." He paused, clearing his throat. Part of Nico worried that once Jason knew more of the story, he would change his mind about Nico. Funny how the thing Nico had once hoped would happen now terrified him beyond words.

"He drove me home after we played—he actually had a car, which I remember thinking was pretty cool—and when he pulled up in front of my building that day, he uh, kissed me. After that day, most of our mentor meetings consisted of making out in his car. That was kind of all, no dates or anything. Just kissing in his car. Until one night when my dad came outside and—" Nico's voice cracked. "You know the rest. Got transferred to Goode, never talked to Luke again. Though, I saw him once. I hid. I couldn't bear to actually face him. His scar…"

Jason reached across the table and took Nico's hand in his own. "I doubt he blames you for what happened."

Nico looked down. He couldn't let himself get emotional about this all over again. Crying over a (sort of?) ex was not how he wanted to spend his night with Jason. Not trusting his voice, the boy just shrugged.

"Okay, enough with the heavy," the blue-eyed boy announced, squeezing Nico's hand gently. "How about something happy?"

Nico released a bitter laugh, "Happy, my specialty."

"Something must make you happy," he smiled. _You. I love you._

Now that he had allowed that thought in, it ran rampant through his mind. He loved Jason. He undeniably loved the boy across from him.

Nico knew he was blushing. "Nope," he teased, "Nothing comes to mind."

Jason shook his blond head and stood up, crossing over to Nico's side of the table. Leaning down so his face hovered just inches above Nico's, he whispered, "Nothing at all? No one in particular comes to mind?"

"Well, there is this one guy I kind of like, but he's _so _fucking annoying…"

"Uh huh, whatever Nico," the standing boy leaned in and erased any space between the two teenagers' lips. Nico intended to roll his eyes and shove his gorgeous boyfriend away, but once Jason's tongue brushed over Nico's bottom lip, that plan went flying out the window. Instead, Nico found himself pulling Jason closer, his fingers interlocked behind the taller boy's neck to prevent his escape.

The angle was kind of awkward, and it made Nico smile. This was the exact position they'd been in the first time Jason kissed him. Had that really only been two weeks ago?

Too soon, Jason pulled back. "Hmm, perhaps the middle of this fancy restaurant is not the most appropriate time to make out?"

Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond. "Are you serious, right now?"

Jason flashed his teeth in a charming grin, "Hey, I'm trying to make this date as real as possible."

"Teasing me is just a bonus, then?"

Jason winked, returning to his seat. "You could say that. Now, how about I tell you about the time I thought I could fly…"

…

"So that's how I ended up in the hospital with a broken leg. Let's just say, Dad wasn't too happy with me," Jason shared animatedly, bringing a forkful of cheesecake (store-bought, Jason wasn't _that _good a cook) to his mouth.

"Well, at least it wasn't an actual building. Although I don't know why you wouldn't just wait for someone to get you _out _of the tree," Nico shook his head, but Jason knew he was trying not to smile.

"I was nine, do you really think I was just going to sit in that God-awful tree all day? We were on vacation. I wanted to get a move-on."

"Something tells me the broken leg put a damper on that plan," the younger boy joked, reaching across the table for Jason's hand. Jason happily interlocked their fingers. He didn't care that Nico was teasing him, this had so far been a perfect night. Had Jason ever seen Nico in such a good mood? It was a miracle he'd been able to stop himself when they'd kissed earlier. As it was, Jason was eager to end the date and go back to their room for some more intimate time.

Shit, Jason may have been on the same page as Nico about the whole waiting on sex thing—he had enough on his mind without the prospect of having sex for the first time—but that didn't mean he didn't desire the Italian boy. A lot.

His mind drifted back to earlier when he'd tucked in Nico's shirt. A simple thing, maybe, but with Nico it had felt so personal and sensual.

Jason had never been so aware of another person before. Never before wanted, no _needed, _to be so physically close with someone like he did with Nico.

"What are you thinking about?" Nico asked him, an odd smile playing across his lips.

Jason bit his lip. Saying _you _was just too cliché for words. Instead, a whole other thing came out of his mouth, "Do you know when I first realized I liked you?"

The other boy's eyebrows rose. "Five minutes before you kissed me?" He assumed.

A loud, short laugh burst free from Jason's throat. "God, no. But if that's when you started liking me I'll have to go drown myself in the bathtub. It was actually, uh, a few days after I found you."

Nico genuinely looked surprised. "You're serious?"

"At first I was just really interested by you, ya know? And then I realized I was interested _in _you. I felt like such an ass, actually, going and crushing on the guy I'd invited into my home."

The dark haired boy across the table brought his other hand to their interlocked fingers, surrounding Jason's smooth hand in both of his own. "Crushing on me?" He chuckled. "All I did was snoop around your room and criticize you. I wasn't exactly charming."

"I liked all that about you, though. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I think it is safe to say I had a _huge _crush on you."

"Well, what about now?" Nico asked with a mischievous grin.

_Now I am about 99.9% sure I've totally fallen in love with you, _he wanted to say.

But tonight was such a great night, Jason couldn't bear to say something that could ruin it. And while Jason didn't doubt that Nico had strong feelings for him, he worried that talk of love would scare the younger boy away. After all, what had happened to the last people who had loved Nico?

Jason wasn't scared of Hades di Angelo, but it was clear as day that Nico was. So Jason would hold off on any use of the L word for now.

"I think I like you more and more every day," he shared, which wasn't technically untrue.

Nico released his hand, pushing his chair away from the table and crossing over to Jason. "Do you think all of the other people in this restaurant will care if I kiss you?" He teased.

"They can look away for a minute or two," Jason mumbled, tugging on Nico's collar to draw him closer. Yes, the collared shirt was a truly inspired idea on Jason's part.

Their lips met—_collided_ may have been the better word to describe their franticness—and suddenly Jason could care less about finishing his dessert.

But the one boy standing and one boy sitting thing simply wasn't going to do. Even if Nico was shorter than Jason, the angle still felt awkward and distracted from the otherwise fantastic kissing. Jason grabbed hold of Nico's hips, guiding him down until he was sitting on—and essentially straddling—the blond. Nico groaned against the older boy's lips, twisting his fingers into Jason's hair and tugging. Shit, Jason had never realized hair pulling could be such a turn-on.

"Brhmrm," Nico mumbled into Jason's mouth.

Jason chuckled and unlocked their lips. "What?"

"Bedroom," Nico repeated with more urgency.

Expertly ignoring the dishes, Jason swept up the much lighter boy and threw him over his shoulder before proceeding to exit the kitchen.

"Fuck! Jason, put me down! Stop manhandling me."

Said "manhandler" shook with laughter, placing a hand on Nico's ass as he flailed and playfully banged his fists against Jason's back. "What's the magic word?"

"Damn you!"

"Not even close," he teased, kicking the bedroom door open.

He decided to set Nico down on the floor gently rather than just dropping him on the bed. When Nico was back on his feet, he glared at Jason. "Dick."

"You just say the sweetest things," Jason said with a good-natured eye-roll. He grabbed hold of the boy once again, by the hips this time, and dragged him so their bodies were flush against each other.

The pale boy scowled up at him.

Jason pecked him on his pouty lips. "Don't be angry, Gorgeous."

Nico attempted to shove him away. "I'm not gorgeous," he muttered.

"Oh yes, you are," Jason assured, recapturing his boyfriend's lips and resting his hands on his shoulders.

A small moan escaped Nico's throat, encouraging Jason to continue. His tongue slid through Nico's newly parted lips, taking pride in the way the smaller boy shuddered.

They moved so the backs of Nico's legs were against the foot of the bed but didn't actually get on it, continuing their frantic kissing while standing. Everything around Jason seemed to be spiraling out of control and completely still at the same time. The world rushed by when he and Nico were kissing, the world stopped when they were kissing—it was all very confusing.

Nico's hands tugged Jason's shirt loose and then came to rest on his bare hips, which didn't help Jason's situation much. The feeling of Nico's hands on Jason's bare skin was absolutely intoxicating. He wanted more of it. A lot more. His hands went down to rest over Nico's, coaxing them further up Jason's shirt. But the damn thing kept getting in the way. Fucking dress shirts.

Nico, as if reading Jason's mind, began to fumble with the buttons. Jason eagerly helped. The next thing he knew, Nico had pushed the shirt down off of his shoulders. It landed lightly at their feet.

The shorter boy tore away from the kiss, dragging his lips down Jason's neck, past his shoulders, to place quick kisses all across Jason's chest. The blond's head fell back and he groaned, hands firm on his still-clothed waist.

"Yours too," he insisted, moving to undo the buttons on Nico's shirt.

Nico ceased the kisses, pulling away with flushed cheeks. "I don't think my shaky self-confidence could survive being shirtless at the same time as you. I'm not.. I mean, I don't look like…"

Jason kissed his cheek. "Nico, I know you're skinny. It's okay. I like you just the way you are."

His blush deepened, but he whispered, "Okay," nonetheless.

Jason reunited their lips to distract Nico while making quick work of the buttons on his shirt. It joined Jason's on the floor.

Jason smiled widely and took a moment to admire the other boy's pale, smooth skin that he'd only previously caught glimpses of. He hadn't been lying when he told Nico that he liked him just how he was. The narrow hips and creamy coloring were so unlike Jason's own body, so incredibly fascinating. Nico was probably the palest Italian Jason had ever met, but it didn't bother him at all. There was something about Nico's skin that was beautiful to look at, especially in the soft glow of the lamplight.

"Stop staring at me," Nico whined, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sorry, I like looking at you." Jason drew Nico in by the waist so their bare torsos were nearly touching. Then he slid his hands up the boy's chest to his neck and back all the way down to his belly button. "And touching you," he added with a smirk.

The shorter boy hummed with satisfaction, curling his fingers around Jason's broad shoulders. Jason grabbed on to Nico's hips once again, hoisting him up a little so they could kiss. With Nico on his tiptoes, Jason didn't have to bend so much to kiss him. Wanting to feel even more of the boy in front of him, Jason let his fingers drift over Nico's hips, inching their way to his back. When he finally splayed his fingers across the bare skin, however, Nico stiffened.

"I, uh, my scars," he mumbled, grabbing at Jason's hands and trying to coax them back to his stomach. "Sorry. Not sexy at all."

Oh, right, the scars. Honestly, with all of the excitement of the evening, Jason had nearly forgotten what Nico had shown him and Leo last night. His back, crisscrossed sporadically with thin, old scars.

"They don't bother me, Nico," Jason promised. "Well, I mean, of course they _bother_ me and make me hate your father even more, but they don't make me see you as any less. I hate how you got them, but I don't care that you _have _them And for the record," he continued, planting a small kiss on Nico's exposed shoulder, "there is not a single part of your body that I don't like, okay? You don't have to be ashamed around me."

"Says the guy with the body of a god," Nico sighed.

"Do you think I can… see them again?" Jason breathed, trailing a finger across Nico's shoulder blades.

"Another time," the boy whispered. "I don't want to think of all that crap tonight."

"Okay, another time," Jason nodded.

They resumed the kissing and next thing Jason knew, Nico was tugging the both of them down on to the bed. "We're not going to have sex," he clarified, resting his open palm on the blond's cheek.

"No sex," Jason agreed, kissing Nico's fingertips. The younger boy pulled him down for a searing kiss, and it was all Jason could do to not crush Nico with his body weight. Their mouths were even more frantic than their hands—which were currently exploring any newly exposed skin they could touch. Jason relished in the feeling of Nico's tongue moving with his. Of their bodies gently rocking together. Of Nico's hands rubbing over his abdomen and Jason's roaming to the dangerous area just above Nico's pants.

As his desire increased—and Nico's too—Jason started to grind his clothed erection into the other boy's body with more force. "Mmm, Nico," he groaned.

The boy beneath him moaned in response.

Shit, that sound went _straight _to Jason's dick.

He said he wasn't going to have sex with Nico though, and he meant it. Sure, he may have wanted the boy. A lot. A whole lot. But he had willpower and did agree that it was better if they waited. Still, why did Jason have to be so horny? He'd never been this desperate to lose his virginity before all this.

But, well, he could remain a virgin and still have a little fun, right?

…

"Want to touch you," Jason breathed against Nico's lips.

"You _are_ touching me," Nico said matter-of-factly, placing his hands over top of Jason's as if to prove it.

"Not what I meant," the blond murmured, slowly moving his hand to rest on Nico's crotch.

"Oh," Nico exhaled.

Jason wanted to touch him _there. _

"Only if you're okay with it," Jason promised.

Nico could barely breathe, let alone find words to form an answer. What exactly did "touch" entail? Was he just curious to feel or did he want to… God, Nico could barely even _think _it without getting flustered. Was Jason asking if he could jack Nico off?

_What a fucking question to ask a horny sixteen year old virgin!_

Except this particular horny sixteen year old virgin wanted to hyperventilate at the thought of someone as gorgeous as Jason doing it. Hell, every part of Jason was so perfect. Nico could tell whenever Jason got an erection that he was, uh, _well endowed _and all and, being himself, that led to about a million and one insecurities that may have been stupid, but existed nonetheless. What if Jason thought Nico was too small? What if Jason didn't even _like _doing it? What if it was just a big awkward mess? What if… What if the cops suddenly burst in with Nico naked and Jason's hand on his dick? _That _would make the papers.

Okay, maybe that last fear was a little far-fetched, but still.

Nico realized that Jason was still looking at him expectantly and Nico hadn't said anything.

_Words, damn it! Use your words, Nico!_

What was there to even say, though? Nico would be lying if he said he hadn't imagined situations exactly like this, over the past few days especially with all of the sex dreams. But dreaming about something and actually doing it were two drastically different things.

Maybe they should just stop, stick with what they'd been doing for days. That was good. Nico didn't want to risk…

_Wait._

Was Nico really going to refuse a potential handjob from his willing and sexy boyfriend?

Because if Nico was going to prison, or hell, or wherever for the crimes he hadn't committed (or the ones he questionably had) shouldn't he at least enjoy himself before he went? It wasn't like he was agreeing to have sex, or even oral, just a handjob right?

God, he really needed to stop over thinking everything.

"Okay with it? Yes. Totally stressed out by the idea? Double yes." A nervous chuckle escaped his throat.

"I don't want you to feel pressured or anything, it's just well," Jason rubbed lightly on Nico's hard-on through the fabric of his pants, causing the younger boy to groan, "Why not, right?"

He latched on to Jason's short—_but not_, Nico noticed, as short as it was when Jason first found him—blond hair and tugged him closer, so Jason's entire body pressed Nico's down in to the mattress. "You really… want to? Do that, I mean."

Jason bit down gently on the lobe of Nico's ear and whispered, "Yes. I really do." And then his fingers were unsnapping the button on Nico's pants.

More to distract himself than anything, Nico captured Jason's mouth for a very long, very deep kiss. _Think only of mouths, _Nico urged himself. _Jason's mouth. Your tongue. Kissing. _

It only half worked, because he was still quite aware of the fact that Jason was tugging his pants down his thighs.

"Relax, it's just me," Jason breathed, moving down to plant open mouthed kisses on Nico's neck and collarbone.

"I know," Nico replied, stroking Jason's soft blond hair. "I know."

Nico's pants ended up at his ankles and he kicked them off, sending his shoes with them (Why he wore shoes to an indoor date in Jason's apartment he may never know).

He still wore underwear at least, but that didn't erase the fact that his legs were completely bare in all of their pale skinny glory. Jason, still more or less on top of Nico, swept Nico's bangs out of his eyes and gave a half smile, but Nico noticed his hand was shaking.

He told Jason as much.

"Well, maybe I'm a little nervous, too," he admitted, kissing Nico's temple.

"We're sort of pathetic," Nico realized with a laugh.

"Should start a blog or something… call it Virgin Struggles," Jason joined in the laughter.

And somehow, knowing that Jason was panicking just as much as he was made Nico less nervous. Jason wouldn't stop liking Nico because of something stupid like dick size. He'd touched Nico's scars without flinching, and if that didn't turn Jason away, then what would?

_I love you, Jason, _he almost said, but that was too wild. Too soon. Too much. That was a secret he'd much rather keep to himself.

If he didn't say it out loud, maybe somehow he could spare Jason from facing the same fate that—

_I am _not_ going to think about my dead sister right now, _Nico swore to himself. Tonight belonged to Nico and Jason only.

"You know…" Nico mused, feeling how Jason strained against his own pants, "I think it only fair that you take off your pants as well. It's civil rights or something."

"Or something," Jason agreed, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. "You want to… assist me?"

Nico wasn't sure if Jason purposely tried to be seductive or if his nervous-mode and seductive-mode were one and the same, but it was enough to send a shiver down the younger boy's back.

_I'll assist you in any way you want, _is what Nico would have said if he were a million times braver.

"Definitely," is what came out of his mouth instead. Nico sent a quick thank you to his past self for leaving only the two lamps on in this room before he left for their "date" as opposed to the overhead light, because surely he was the color of a ripe strawberry by now.

Working as a cohesive unit, Nico and Jason made quick work of Jason's pants, revealing two long, tan, muscular legs. Nico felt approximately twelve years old.

He pinched Jason's hip.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Oh, just checking to see if you're real," Nico sighed, eyeing Jason's dark red boxer briefs.

The older boy rolled his eyes and planted a kiss on Nico's cheek. Only, Nico didn't want chaste right now. He and Jason were both almost completely naked, and if Nico didn't start taking advantage of that fact he knew he would be kicking himself later. Feeling suddenly bold, Nico let his fingers graze all down Jason's muscular back until they bumped into the last piece of fabric covering his body. Then he laid his palm flat just above his ass and pushed their aching lower halves together. Jason buried his face in Nico's neck and moaned, wasting a minute grinding against Nico's hardness. And holy shit, it was so much better this way, just in their underwear without the thick layers of their pants.

"Fuck," Nico cursed, and then, like a prayer, "Jason!"

The ridiculously hot boy above him dragged his hands down Nico's bare torso slid them under the waistband of Nico's gray boxer briefs without hesitation. Surprisingly, Nico didn't tense up at having Jason's hands on his skin. In fact, as Jason rubbed his palms on Nico's hips and moved around to grab at his backside, he felt oddly relaxed. Comfortable. This was right. Being like this with Jason was simply… _right. _

"L—like you s—so much," Nico stuttered as Jason grinded against him once again.

"Same," he agreed, laying a kiss right over Nico's erratically beating heart, "So, _so_ much." He hooked a finger around the waistband of the underwear. "Can I?"

"Yes," Nico whispered. Then, louder, "Yes, do it."

"Assertive," Jason muttered, "I like it." He tugged down and Nico was completely exposed.

…

Once he had Nico naked, Jason simply could not stop smiling, no matter how many times Nico hit his arm and ordered him to stop.

"I could take mine off too, if you want."

"And leave both of us aroused and completely naked?" Nico raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure _that _would end well."

Jason still had confidence in his ability to resist sex, although he had to admit that Nico's state of undress had weakened his resolve just slightly. "Oh come on, have a little faith in me, Nico."

"Who said it was _you _I didn't trust?" Nico whispered, kissing Jason quickly on the lips.

So Jason wasn't the only one horny out of his mind…

Oh, the complications of being a virgin never ceased. Wanting to have sex. Knowing it wasn't a good idea. Knowing it was too fast. Wanting to regardless.

"I guess we'll just have to work with what we have, then," Jason chuckled, bringing his hand dangerously close to Nico's dick.

Nico gasped and shuddered.

Horniness aside, Jason was sort of panicking. He'd never gone this far with anyone before. Never had a naked boy _right _there in front of him. And yeah, Jason may have been comfortable with who he was and all, but that didn't mean he was any less of a nervous fool with barely a clue what he was doing. Confidence in the streets did not in any way relate confidents in the sheets. You'd think the fanfiction would have prepared him for this kind of stuff, but no luck.

However, there was one thing Jason knew pretty well, and that was kissing. He locked lips with Nico, letting his hands rest on the boy's narrow hips without doing much exploring. Nico, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to trace patterns on Jason's back with the pads of his fingers. It felt unspeakably intimate.

Nice or not, they still weren't close enough for Jason's liking. He sat up suddenly, bringing Nico along with him. The boy raised his eyebrow in question as he was turned around and then pulled against Jason, so they were back to stomach, with Nico between Jason's legs. It may have also placed Jason's clothed erection ideally against Nico's ass, but _that _was irrelevant.

Jason slid his hands all the way down the front of Nico's torso, taking great satisfaction in the way it made the younger boy moan his name, which only got louder as Jason finally wrapped one hand around Nico's shaft. He smeared the dark haired boy's pre-come from tip to base.

God, Jason fucking _loved _date nights.

Going purely off of what he knew from porn, fanfiction, and of course, doing this to himself, Jason began to jerk Nico off. It wasn't nearly as awkward as he'd thought it would be. Once he actually got started it was more or less like the grinding they'd been doing all week. Well, except for the whole part about Nico being naked and Jason's hand on his dick. And even though it was technically Nico on the receiving end, Jason couldn't say that he wasn't also getting something out of it. In addition to a very nice expanse of Nico's neck to suck on, each pleasured jolt of the younger boy's body had him rubbing against Jason's aching dick.

After only a perhaps a minute of this—stamina currently wasn't either boy's strong suit—not only Nico but Jason as well began to come, the former all over his stomach and the latter's hand. And Jason in his underwear… again. Like a loser.

But then Nico turned around and the grin on his face made Jason think that maybe being a loser virgin wasn't so bad.

"You know, I would have returned the favor…" he teased.

Jason rolled his eyes and kissed Nico's cheek, "Next time." He got up and went to his bathroom for a washcloth. He wiped his hand off as he returned and then started cleaning Nico off as well.

"So, how about you make some hot chocolate?"

Jason smiled, pulling Nico against him for a deep kiss.

"Uh, I'm still sort of naked," the brown-eyed boy reminded when Jason tore away. This made Jason's smile widen. He cupped Nico's ass and nipped at his neck.

"Oh, I know."

They started kissing all over again, and as it turned out… Nico _did_ get to return the favor after all.

…

As Jason fell asleep that night, one singular thought rang through his mind over and over again.

_I love you, Nico di Angelo._

And he meant it.

Oh, did he ever mean it.

…

It was probably three in the morning, but Nico found himself wide awake. Jason was fast asleep beside him—naked as the day he'd been born—with his arms loosely wrapped around an equally undressed Nico.

Earlier, Nico had surprised himself more than once. First by simply letting Jason remove all of his clothes and give him a handjob, and then again when he'd—against his better judgment, perhaps—stripped Jason of his last piece of clothing and reciprocated. And… well… that had turned Nico on all over again and so once again Jason had jacked him off. Then, the two completely spent boys had cuddled and kissed in bed without a single thought of getting up or putting their clothes back on.

So how exactly was Nico expected to sleep?

Neither boy had even bothered to close the curtains, allowing the lights of the city and the full moon to shine through the windows and illuminate Jason's muscular chest and perfect face. Jesus, he really was spectacular to look at. How someone like Jason even existed, let alone had feelings for Nico, continued to perplex him. But he was grateful, nonetheless.

It was starting to feel like this boy may be the best thing that ever happened to Nico, and that was frightening beyond words.

Surely this person Nico had known for five weeks couldn't matter this ridiculously much. Being in a sort-of relationship with some gorgeous blond who cared too much about books and had no regard for his own safety was hardly a fairy tale, especially considering the circumstances.

And yet, when was the last time Nico had been this happy?

Even when Bianca was alive… he could hardly remember an occasion. Yes, Nico loved his sister totally and completely and would have done anything for her, but had he been happy? Always worried about his mother and Bianca, always terrified of his father's bad moods… Constantly being beaten half to death. The happy memories were certainly few and far between back then.

But now? Now it seemed like things could be looking up for Nico. He was in a safe environment, constantly with a guy he was crazy in love with, and making plans to rescue his mother and get away from his insane father once and for all.

Jason mumbled something unintelligible and pulled Nico closer.

Sure, Nico knew things weren't _actually _perfect. His sister was dead, the police were actively hunting him down, his mother was still in danger, Jason was taking insane risks, and now he wasn't the only one who know about Nico's whereabouts. The two living people that Nico truly cared about could end up dead at the end of all of this, and he had no idea if he'd be able to stop it. But now? Tonight? Tonight he was happier than he'd been in a long, long time.

In the middle of the storm, Nico had found himself a little piece of paradise.

And for now, that was enough.

* * *

_A/N:_ _Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Fair warning, next week's update will not be on Friday. This upcoming week is so busy for me that I won't have time to edit really until the weekend. That being said, expect chapter 12 on either November 16th or 17th. I will post on tumblr if the situation changes. Love all of you, kisses!_


	12. Sister, Sister

_A/N: This chapter is a beast. The longest yet. Which is my excuse for it not being up earlier today or yesterday. That being said, chapter 13 may not go up until Saturday, depending on how my free time this week looks. As always, you can go to my tumblr, nephilimgirlbooks, for any update information. Love you! Also, reminder that I love hearing from you all. Reviews are always appreciated!_

* * *

**CH. 12—Sister, Sister (Never Knew How Much I Missed Ya)**

On Saturday morning, Nico woke to find himself in a dream. Yes, he realized that technically speaking, he _was _awake, but the fact that Jason Grace was lying beside him stark naked and smirking made it feel like a dream.

"Morning," he whispered, placing a brief kiss on Nico's lips. Despite all that they'd done the previous night, this small action made Nico cover his face in embarrassment.

It didn't help that Jason's bare dick was pressed against his side.

Jason's dick, subtly reminding Nico of what he's done last night. That glorious moment of boldness when he'd jacked Jason off.

"_Nico," Jason gasped, pressing his hips into the boy who had at some point wound up on top of him. And damn it if Nico wasn't still naked. He probably should have felt uncomfortable. Nico preferred his back against the bed, where his scars could be hidden, and he certainly preferred to be clothed, covered, protected. But somehow, Nico felt strangely at ease in bed with Jason. When… _if _they ever did go all the way, would Nico feel this secure and comfortable? _

_Except Jason still wore a single piece of fabric, a garment that could change everything. The maroon boxer-briefs. The underwear that now strained against Jason's latest erection. Last month Nico was sleeping in boxes and behind dumpsters, on the run and terrified. And now… now…_

_An idea struck him._

_With a mischievous grin, Nico stopped bestowing kisses on Jason's lips and scooted down the taller boy's body. _

"_No, Nico, come back," Jason whined. Nico's heart beat erratically. He could still back down. He didn't have to go through with this little idea of his._

_But he wanted to. _

_And he wasn't sure what to make of that._

_Nico let out a shaky breath as his hand came in contact with the last shred of fabric that clothed Jason. "Wh—what are you doing?" Jason breathed._

"_I'm pretty sure you don't want to get off in your underwear _again,_" Nico teased, trying to sound confident but probably failing miserably. If his face got any redder, Nico could work part time as a fire truck. His hands shook nervously. _

_Jason's eyes widened, "You really sure you want to—"_

_Nico rolled his eyes, steeled his nerves, and tugged the maroon underwear down. _

_Naked Jason may have been equally the most gorgeous and terrifying thing Nico had ever seen. It certainly scared away any thoughts of giving in and having sex in the near future. _

"_Nico?" Jason asked after the dark haired boy sat frozen for nearly an entire minute._

_The boy in question sputtered back to life. "Uh, proportional," he muttered awkwardly, looking anywhere that wasn't Jason's 'proportional' dick. _

_Jason chuckled and sat up in the bed, "We don't have to do anything you aren't comfortable with, Nico. You know that."_

"_I know," Nico replied, leaning in and kissing Jason on the lips while his hand stretched out for the lamp to switch off the light._

_The room plunged into darkness. _

_And his other hand got to work._

"You want pancakes or something?" Jason asked, wrenching Nico from his memory.

"Sure," the younger boy replied, smiling up at his boyfriend. Jason pecked him one more time on the lips and then threw his legs over the side of the bed. The sheets fell from his form as he stood.

And well, now Nico really regretted not closing the curtains last night because the morning light shone right on Jason's spectacularly nude body.

Lamplight had really done the blond no justice. His strong thighs, his muscular, bare arms, the attention grabbing V pointing right down to his—

_Oh Jesus Christ, _Nico thought, almost like a prayer, which was ironic considering he was a guy appraising the body of another guy and his recent loss of faith in any higher power—at least one that gave a shit about him.

Jason looked down, as if suddenly remembering that he was absolutely naked. "I—I—we should probably get dressed first," he stuttered, scratching his head.

_Or you could get back here and kiss me until I forget the feeling of oxygen in my lungs, _that crazy, bold side of Nico whispered.

The bold side of Nico clearly forgot the whole "virgin" thing.

"Yeah, clothes. Perhaps that would be a good idea," Nico said instead, averting his eyes and smiling bashfully.

…

"What time are you meeting her?" Nico asked Monday while the boys ate breakfast—in Jason's room, of course; his mother had returned home the previous night.

Nico was referring to none other than Thalia. Today Jason would get to see her for the first time since summer and he couldn't be more excited.

And also, terrified.

Thalia was one of the smartest people Jason knew—perhaps even more insightful than Annabeth—and Jason was keeping the motherload of secrets from her. He chewed nervously on his bagel.

"I'm meeting her for lunch at one, and we'll probably spend most of the day together. She heads back Wednesday afternoon."

Nico nodded, "Where does she stay when she comes here?"

"With an old high school friend, Zoë. Well, she may have been more than a friend. It's complicated, according to Thals."

The younger boy raised an eyebrow, "You never mentioned that your sister was…"

Jason chuckled, wiping a smudge of cream cheese off of Nico's cheek. "She's bisexual. You can imagine how thrilled our parents were. And that was back when they thought I was straight. Sure my dad is just rolling in his grave."

Nico shook his head in a _what am I going to do with you _gesture and planted a long, lingering kiss on Jason's lips. "Fathers have always seemed a little overrated if you ask me," he mumbled into the blond's mouth.

_I love you, _Jason nearly told him. _I love you more than I'd like to admit. _Instead, he pulled Nico against him and continued with the kissing, breakfast momentarily forgotten.

…

"I'll text you later with a better estimate of when I'll be home, okay?" Jason promised.

Nico rolled his eyes, "You don't need my permission to stay out, you know. Thalia is your sister and you barely see her, I get you every day."

Jason grinned at that, "Yes you do," he tugged Nico against him for another kiss, adding in a whisper, "And every night, too."

It seemed like they were always kissing now. Jason could scarcely help himself. After Friday night, he only found himself wanting Nico more and more, and not just sexually. Just being around the brown-eyed boy turned Jason into some cuddly ball of mush. Always wanting to kiss Nico, touch Nico, hold Nico. It was a drug.

They hadn't gotten completely naked again, but that didn't mean Jason hadn't gotten a fair share of time with his hand down the front/back of Nico's pants.

"If you're trying to turn me on right before you leave, it's working and you're evil," Nico muttered, grabbing onto Jason's shirt collar and bestowing one last, passionate kiss. "Okay, get out of here."

Jason reached down and gave Nico's backside a small squeeze, "I'll miss you."

"Tease."

The blond laughed.

…

Demeter's Café in SoHo had always been Jason and Thalia's special place, so naturally it was where the siblings agreed to meet for lunch.

Before Jason had even stepped fully through the door, his sister threw her arms around him, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "Jason!" She cried. "Look how big you are!"

Thalia pulled back and began to do all sorts of embarrassing sisterly things, straightening his jacket and brushing her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek. Jason blushed. "Thals, I look exactly how I did last time you saw me."

Thalia and Jason, despite being siblings, actually didn't look all that much alike. Jason had his mother's fair hair, while Thalia's was black, like their father's. But other than the hair, Thalia looked a lot more like their mother, with wide eyes and a light dusting of freckles upon her nose, which was slightly upturned. She also shared their mother's petite frame, although her huge personality made her seem much taller than she actually was. Jason, as much as he hated to resemble either of his parents, favored his father with his strong jaw and broad shoulders. The only commonality between the siblings were their eyes, both a blue so vivid people often assumed they were contacts.

"I guess I'll just always imagine you as the fifteen year old boy you were when I left," Thalia sighed, hugging him again. "Come sit, I got our usual table."

One of the things that Jason loved most about Demeter's was, despite the spectacular quality of the food, the quaint little café was never crowded. It felt intimate and homey and everything on the menu tasted home cooked. Jason wondered what Nico would think of it, if Jason could ever bring him here.

"Okay, so catch me up on your life!" His sister insisted.

Jason twiddled his fingers and half-hid behind his menu as he rattled off the less exciting facts of his life, all of his tests from the previous week, Leo's failing attempts to flirt with Calypso, his hopes that Stanford will send him a letter sometime in the next two weeks.

Thalia snatched his menu away. "Yeah, you told me most of that on the phone, little bro. I mean catch me up on the part of your life you keep leaving out." She inclined a brow at him.

Jason swallowed hard. Damn. Damn it all. Not even five minutes and his sister could already tell that Jason was keeping things from her. Had she gotten smarter or had Jason just become worse at lying? Hopefully not the latter, considering someone's life relied on his ability to keep a secret.

"What, mom?" Jason asked casually. "I'd honestly rather not talk about her. I don't know why she insists on keeping the apartment when she's never even there. It's just me and—my books all day." _Wow Jason, real slick. _

His older sister pursed her lips. "Gods," she finally said, "You can't move to California soon enough. I hate leaving you with that bitch."

Jason sighed, more out of relief for distracting Thalia than anything. "Tell me about it. But really, it's not so terrible. I mean, Mom could be a lot worse."

"Yeah, at least she's not like, hurting you or anything, right? When she gets drunk?"

"She's not home enough to hit me." Jason's stomach twisted painfully as he thought of how Nico hadn't been so lucky. God, if it was the last thing he did, Jason was going to make Hades pay.

"That's good. So… you spend a lot of time alone, then?" His sister asked casually, brushing back a lock of black hair that had fallen into her eyes.

Jason nodded, eyes on the front windows.

"Well, I guess that leaves a lot of time for your secret boyfriend to come over, huh?"

The blond whipped his head towards his sister, gaping at her in open-mouthed shock. "What? Thals, I don't have a—"

She grinned, "Sure you don't. That's why you're getting all blushy and defensive, right?"

Jason was ready to protest further, when their waitress arrived. "Hi, my name is Mellie and I'll be your server today. What can I get you to start?"

"Coffee," the siblings said in unison. Mellie laughed.

"Well either you two are siblings or the world's most in-sync couple. Cream or sugar?"

"Siblings. I'll take some cream and sugar," Jason said.

"I'll have mine black, thank you."

Mellie skipped away.

"So, you drink your coffee black now?" He inquired.

"Cut the crap, little brother," the older girl interrupted, "You've been tiptoeing since the moment we sat down, not to mention every time I've called you for the last _month. _Although, why you wouldn't tell me that you're seeing someone is a mystery to me. Gods, he's not like thirty, is he? Jason, tell me you aren't fucking your teacher or something."

Jason reddened. "I'm not fucking _anyone!_ I promise. Jeez, Thals. You know me better than anyone, do you reallythink I'd fool around with a teacher?"

She shrugged, "How should I know when you insist on being so secretive? You'd think I just asked you to take off your clothes and go streaking through Times Square with the way you reacted. Just tell me what's going on."

He wanted to tell her of course. He wanted to tell her more than anything. Thalia had always been the keeper of Jason's deepest secrets, but could he really put such a weight on her shoulders? Not to mention that Thalia was a notorious worrier. Who knew what she would do if she found out about the complete mess Jason had thrown himself into?

"Well, I mean… Mitchell is in town, but I don't think I'm going to—"

"I know you're not this riled up over that silly McLean boy, Sparky. But there _is _someone. Admit it."

Jason sighed. He could keep lying through his teeth, or he could try and tell a half truth to satisfy her. But even doing something as little as _that _could be risky

"Come on, Jason," Thalia insisted, "Who do you trust more than anyone in this world?"

_You, _Jason thought. "I—there is a boy. But it's sort of complicated."

His sister leaned in. "Another closet case? Because you promised me after the Jake Mason thing that you wouldn't do that again."

_Hmm_, he chewed his lip. That was a good excuse, but then Thalia would still want to hear all the dirty details, and Jason could hardly do that.

"No, that's not the problem."

Thalia rubbed her forehead. "He's not already in a relationship, is he?"

Jason scowled at the mere _thought _of that one, "No, not that either. Look, I really can't talk about it. I told you there's a guy and that it's complicated, isn't that enough?"

"So complicated you can't even confide in your dear sister? I bet Leo knows about it."

"That's beside the point."

She grinned mischievously, "Well, I guess I could always call Leo and—"

"No!" Jason interrupted quickly. Knowing his best friend, Leo would spill the beans in a heartbeat. Once upon a time he'd had a huge crush on Jason's older sister.

"Wait, you're not dating Leo, right? Tell me it isn't Leo."

Jason made a face. "Of course I'm not dating Leo, don't be ridiculous."

"Ready to order?" Mellie asked, reappearing with the coffees.

"Can you give us a few, Mellie?" Thalia asked politely, smiling up at the server. She nodded and disappeared. Jason wanted to get up and follow after her.

"Thals, I—"

"Name."

"You don't—"

"Name."

"It's really—"

"What's his name, Jason?"

He released an exasperated breath. "N—Nico," he mumbled.

Thalia reached across the table and placed her hand over his. "See, that wasn't so hard. So, tell me, why is this Nico such a secret?"

Jason shook his head, "It's a long story."

"Well then it's good thing we have a whole day together, huh?" She mused.

_What to do? What to do? _

"Give me a minute," he said, pulling out his cell phone.

_**Thalia suspects, **_he typed, _**I don't know what to tell her. She knows I'm seeing someone and I can't get her off my back.**_

He waited anxiously for Nico's response.

His phone buzzed within the minute. **She's your sister. Do you trust her?**

_**More than anyone. But it's your secret.**_

**It's your secret, too. I trust you and if you trust her, so do I. **

_**Here goes nothing, then. **_

"Thalia… do you watch the news?"

She leaned back, a startled look on her face at the sudden question. "Uh, not really. All they ever talk about is how fucked up society is, like I don't already know. Why?"

Jason scanned the café quickly. Only two other tables were occupied, and neither within hearing range of Jason and Thalia. Still, he couldn't believe he was going to have this conversation.

"So, I guess you haven't hear anything about the Bianca di Angelo murder, huh? It's more of a New York news story anyway, but—"

"Jason, I swear, if you're trying to distract me again—"

"I'm not," he insisted. "I promise. This is just, a lot to explain and it isn't easy, okay?"

His sister nodded. "Go on, then."

"Well, around the end of January, this girl Bianca was murdered inside their family apartment. Stabbed to death. She was my age, she went to Goode with me. And, so did her younger brother… Nico."

Thalia looked like she wanted to ask a million and one questions, but Mellie was on her way back over to them. The siblings both ordered their lunch, or brunch, really, considering Thalia got blueberry pancakes and Jason got a bagel and cream cheese along with his soup.

"Okay," Thalia said once Mellie was out of earshot, "So, I'm assuming that this is your Nico?"

Jason nodded, his heart picking up at the insinuation that Nico was _his_.

"I never really talked to him before all of this started. He was just some quiet sophomore kid that only really hung out with his sister."

"How awful, then, that he lost her. Do they know who did it? The murderer, I mean?"

"Well, Thals… that's what makes everything so complicated. Because, uh, everyone thinks it was… Nico."

His sister's eyes widened to blue saucers in her face. "Jason," she gasped.

"But—he didn't do it, Thalia. Nico wouldn't… he cared for Bianca so much. I _know _he's innocent. Trust me. He wakes up sometimes with these horrible screaming nightmares and—"

"Jason, I'm going to need you to explain the entire story to me, okay? Because right now you sound kind of insane and I have no idea what's going on.

The blond took a long sip of his coffee. "Okay, okay I will." He launched into the full explanation, Nico's abusive father, what lengths Nico went through to protect his mother and sister, Hades' ultimatum the night Bianca died, to pick one or the other. (Thalia started to become visibly upset at this point, so Jason tried to tone down the violence a little.) He reluctantly recounted how it had been Hades that actually killed Bianca, and how he'd manipulated it into looking like it was Nico.

"Oh my gods," she whispered when he told her that.

Jason continued on, explaining how Nico ran away and no one knew what happened to him. How everyone at school had their own dumb theory. How every night the news gave an update on the murder case.

"So then, a month ago I was on my way home from work. It was late but I knew we had no food at home so I was going to run to the market. I took those shortcuts that mom used to show us, back when she was normal, and in one alley I saw Nico. He was beaten up so badly that he could barely walk. Apparently he'd been hiding out in the streets for two weeks in the middle of winter and some thugs had tried to rob him, but when they found no money they just beat the shit out of him."

"Then why didn't you call the police, Jason?"

He shook his head. To this day, Jason could still not fully explain it. "I just… had a gut feeling. Maybe you'll think that's stupid, but I'm glad I trusted myself. I can't bear to think what would have happened if I'd called them. Instead, I took Nico back to the apartment and cleaned him up and gave him some food and a place to rest for the night. He was so cold, and helpless, and yet, very feisty," Jason found himself smiling, "Nico didn't really want my help. He's stubborn."

"You two have that in common," Thalia muttered, shaking her head.

Another pause in conversation when their food arrived. Jason smiled politely at Mellie as she set down their food. It looked delicious, even if Jason wasn't sure he had much of an appetite.

"Look, I know you probably think I'm crazy, but when he told me the story, I believed him. It was impossible not to. He was so genuine and honest and open…"

"You said he wakes up with nightmares."

Jason shrugged, "They've gotten a little better lately, but they aren't gone altogether."

Thalia cut into her pancake. "Jason," she asked calmly, "How do you know what he does while he sleeps?"

Jason shifted uncomfortably. "So, about that… He's kind of been hiding out in our apartment. For like, five weeks."

His sister looked ready to reach over the table and smack him. "Jason Grace! Do you _realize _how stupid you are?"

Jason could only nod. "But I have to help him, Thals. In the streets he'd either be caught and arrested or he'd die. And I—I can't let either of those things happen."

"Do you understand how much trouble you could get in for this?"

He nodded again. "Of course I do. But I know what I'm doing, okay? You just have to trust me."

"I do trust you, I trust you more than anyone, but…"

"Well, I trust him. Whole-heartedly."

The table fell into a moment of heavy silence. Jason's sister studied his face intently. He awkwardly sipped at his coffee.

"Okay, fine. Fine. I believe you," Thalia sighed. "But I swear, if you get hurt I am going crazy big sister on everyone involved in this. I will kick all of their asses into the next decade." She stewed angrily across the table.

"If it counts for anything, Nico tried to talk me out of helping him at least fifty times. He kind of thinks I'm a huge idiot."

Thalia gave a small smirk. "You are. But I know you, and only someone _really _special could turn you into this big of a dumbass."

"He _is_ special. Probably the most interesting person I've ever met. Although he likes to tease me a lot. But you'd just love him, Thals."

"And how long have you two been a thing? Please tell me not the entire time."

Jason shook his head quickly. "No, no, only two and a half weeks. But I mean, I definitely had feelings for him for most of the time prior. I can't believe I never paid him more attention at school."

She gave an understanding nod. "So does Nico know you're in love with him?"

Jason choked on his bagel."What?"

Thalia rolled her eyes, "Don't play dumb with me, Jason. I can tell by the way you talk about this guy that you're over the damn moon for him. Does he know?"

Jason reddened. "No, he doesn't know."

"Why the hell not?" Thalia demanded. "If you love him enough to go through the wringer for him, then tell him."

"It's more complicated than that. Way, way more complicated," he lowered his voice, "Did you not listen when I told you that his dad murdered his sister just because Nico cared about her too much? What if I tell him and it scares him off?"

"You don't think he loves you back?" She asked.

"I think he's afraid to love anyone. When I kissed him the first time he nearly walked out. I can't lose him, Thals."

She chewed that over for a moment, along with a big bite of blueberry pancake.

"So are you going to let me meet the guy or what?"

Jason swallowed hard. "I'm not sure if that's—"

She held up a finger to stop him. "My baby brother is crazy in love for the first time in his life. So in love that he's willing to idiotically risk his future—"

"Nico wouldn't let that happen, Thals," Jason interrupted.

"Regardless. Any guy _that _special I have to meet."

"Mom's home."

"Tonight, then," the older sibling insisted.

Jason scratched his brow, "Well, I guess I could bring it up with him…"

"Perfect!" She squealed.

"But if I let you, you'd better be on your best behavior, Thals. No grilling him. And for the love of God, don't tell him about the love thing."

She smiled sweetly, "Oh come on, Sparky, just a little grilling? He needs to know that you have an intimidating big sister watching out for you, ready to kick his ass…"

Jason glared at her.

"Oh, take a joke, have a little faith in your big sister. I'll be completely appropriate."

Thalia? Completely appropriate? Yeah, maybe the day his mother stopped drinking and Jason developed a liking for lady parts. That is to say, not in a million years.

"I highly doubt that, but I'll bring it up with him anyways."

Perhaps it was high time two of the most important people in Jason's life met.

…

It was late afternoon when Jason returned to the apartment. Normally, Jason's arrival would make Nico unspeakably excited, but not today. All the dark haired boy could think about was how Jason's talk with his sister went. Although the fact that the cops hadn't burst in yet had to be a good sign, right?

The bedroom door opened and Jason slipped inside, shutting and locking it behind him. Nico rose to his feet. "So, how'd it go?" He hesitantly asked.

The tall blond crossed over to Nico and planted a kiss right in the middle of his forehead. "It went well. Shockingly well. I mean, she kind of freaked out at first, but everything is okay now. She can tell you're really important to me, she wouldn't betray me," he shared, wrapping Nico up in his muscular arms.

_Really important to me, _Nico repeated over and over in his mind. Nico… important to Jason? Even after everything from the last few weeks, it was still difficult to believe. Nico shuddered, balling his fingers up in Jason's shirt. "Well, I'm glad things went well. But let's keep it at three people knowing where I am, okay?"

Jason chuckled, "Definitely," he captured Nico's lips.

Once, when Nico was younger, he'd carelessly left a bowl of jellybeans in the sun on a hot summer day at his grandmother's house. Then, a few hours later he remembered them suddenly and ran outside to check on them. What he found was not a bowl full of small candies, but rather one big clump of jelly beans all mounded together. The sunlight had melted the beans, and as a result they became one.

And that was exactly how Nico felt while kissing Jason. Two separate entities until the moment their lips met. Then the boys were melting into each other, fusing their individual bodies into one unit, with entangled limbs and locked lips until it was nearly impossible to tell where Jason ended and Nico began. And, just like with the jelly beans, Nico wasn't sure they would ever be able to separate again.

They fell into Jason's desk chair, still kissing wildly with no end in sight. One would think that with all the other stuff, the grinding and the touching and the exploration of exposed skin, kissing would start to feel sort of… boring. Except that wasn't the case with Nico and Jason at all. Making out was just as exhilarating as the first time they'd ever done it, and left Nico just as lightheaded afterward.

"Do you maybe want to… the bed?" The younger boy panted.

"Actually, there was something else I needed to talk to you about," Jason admitted,

Nico may have pouted and started removing Jason's shirt himself if the blond hadn't looked so serious. His lips—swollen from kissing—were pursed tightly. He dragged his fingers through his hair once, which only left him looking more disheveled.

"What's up?"

"Thalia wants to meet you," he blurted suddenly. Nico stood, somehow freeing himself from Jason's gravitational pull.

"She what?"

Jason spoke it so rapidly, maybe Nico's ears were lying to him. _Thalia wants to eat food_ was surely what Jason had said. Right?

The older boy grabbed Nico's hand and intertwined their fingers. Patiently, he repeated, "She wants to meet you. In fact, she was adamant about it. I told her I had to run it by you. Nico, I totally understand if you don't want to. I know you're not really big on people right now, or maybe you think it's too soon, and I won't be angry if you choose to say no."

Nico sighed and plopped back down onto his boyfriend's lap. Yes, it was true that Nico would rather limit his human interactions to Jason only. But that wasn't the problem. Sure, maybe meeting Thalia after less than two weeks of dating was a little rushed. That hadn't made Nico pause either, however.

Thalia was more than just Jason's sister though. She was the most important person in his life. Jason's rock. The one person in Jason's family who really understood who Jason was. She was his Bianca.

And if Thalia didn't like Nico (because let's be honest, he wasn't exactly a likable guy) what would Jason do? Obviously his flesh and blood sister held a lot more stock than a two and a half week relationship.

"What if she meets me and hates me?" Nico mumbled into Jason's neck.

The blond curled his arms around Nico's thin torso. "She's going to like you. Trust me."

"Well what if she doesn't?" Nico pressed.

Jason rolled his eyes and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the younger boy's lips. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, trust me. Thalia will like you, because she knows how much I like you. Done."

"But she hasn't even met me yet…"

"Yet? Does that mean you _are _okay with her coming over later?"

Nico pondered that. What's the worst that could happen?

Thalia could hate him, think he was actually a murderer, call the cops, and Jason could never see Nico again. But Nico was feeling oddly optimistic today.

The dark haired boy heaved a great sigh, "Sure, why not?"

Jason grinned.

…

While Nico showered, Jason called his sister.

"Well, baby brother, miss me already?" Thalia teased.

Jason, currently lying supine on his bed, stared up at the ceiling. He'd never realized how boring ceilings were, white and plain almost everywhere you went. These were the stupid thoughts that always occupied Jason's mind when he was trying to avoid a particular conversation. Unfortunately, there was no getting around this one. "Nico said yes. To meeting you."

A totally un-Thalia like giddy sound rang through the phone. Jason's lips curled into a frown. He hadn't been lying to Nico earlier. Thalia liking him would be a no-brainer. After all, it wasn't every day your baby brother fell head over heels in love, right?

What really terrified Jason was that Thalia would do what she always did—_pry._ There weren't enough fingers in all of New York to count how many times Jason's older sister had embarrassed him with her unabashed, blunt way of speaking. Thalia Grace was a spectacle, to say the least. Quite different from Jason, who was usually happy to mind his own business.

"Ground rules. Don't bring up his family. He doesn't need to be interrogated about every last detail, okay? And for the love of God, don't get all cuddly and affectionate with him. Nico has a thing against touching. Growing up with a father like his will do that to you. Don't ask questions that you know will make him uncomfortable. That includes anything sexual. I swear I'll kill you if you bring _that _up." Okay, maybe the last one was more of a desire to _not _have his sister prying into his own sex life, but really, there were some things sisters just shouldn't know.

"Relax, Jason, what do you take me for?"

"My nosy big sister," Jason replied.

"Touché. Text me when Mom leaves, okay?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I will. See you then."

"See _both _of you later," his sister said. Jason could practically hear her smiling.

No matter how things went between Thalia and Nico, Jason was sure in for an interesting night.

…

"Can I turn the page?" Jason asked, resting his chin on Nico's shoulder. In his hands, held out in front of both boys, was Jason's latest read (or reread, technically), _The Long Walk. _Apparently it wassome lesser known Stephen King novel. However, Nico—who rested in the space between the blond's legs—couldn't have recalled a single thing that had happened in the last ten pages to save his life.

"Yeah, you can turn it."

"That's funny, because I just turned it eighteen seconds ago," Jason said, placing his lips on the younger boy's neck. "What's up?"

Nico released a deep breath. "How can I read a book when your sister is on her way over here _right now_?"

Nico felt Jason's laughter shake both of their bodies. He tossed the book to the side. "I told you, Nico, you have nothing to worry about. She can't wait to meet you."

Dark brown eyes glared into bright blue ones. "Nothing to worry about? The wanted criminal boyfriend angle doesn't usually play off well with friends and family, you know."

"Leo likes you."

"Sure," Nico scoffed. "Yeah, _that _encounter went well."

Kisses trailed up the skin of Nico's neck and to his jaw. "Thalia already knows about you, though. So this time is guaranteed to go better."

"Damn it, you jinxed it now, Sparky," Nico teased.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you for that one!" The seventeen year old declared, pushing back a lock of raven hair and nipping at Nico's ear. Suddenly, Nico's back hit the mattress and Jason's lips were pressed to his own.

Instead of pulling Jason down on top of him and deepening the kiss like he wanted to, Nico shoved Jason away after mere seconds.

"Hey!" The older boy protested with a frown.

"Thalia's first impression of me is not going to be of your tongue down my throat, thank you very much."

"Ruin all my fun," Jason smirked, dropping a quick kiss on Nico's cheek, "Fine. Mom's gone, let's get a snack."

Nico sat on the counter swinging his legs gently as Jason removed the popcorn from the microwave.

The blond pouted, "It smells burnt."

"Smells fine to me," Nico shrugged, motioning for Jason to come closer. The blond obliged, suddenly standing in the space between Nico's legs. The sixteen year old looped his legs around Jason's back and lured him in closer. "If you won't eat it…" He shrugged and snatched the bag away.

"Hey, wait!" Jason protested, "Share!"

Nico took a handful of popcorn and shoveled it into his mouth. "I thought it was burnt," he reminded with a full mouth. The blond shook his head and reached out for the bag. Nico held it just out of reach, smiling wickedly.

"Give me some," the blond whined.

"Come and get it," Nico baited, chucking a single piece of popcorn at his boyfriend's head.

A warm, strong hand pressed suddenly to Nico's chest and pushed down until the cool counter was against his back. The hand suddenly became an entire body as Jason hoisted himself onto the center island as well and laid on top of him.

"Wait! Hey! Get off!" Nico said with a laugh, tossing more popcorn at Jason's face. Then the older boy's hand slipped under Nico's shirt, admittedly distracting him enough that Jason was able to reclaim the popcorn bag. However, rather than eat it, Jason began hurling fistfuls of popcorn at Nico's face. The younger boy collected the scattered pieces to retaliate, and naturally, it turned into full-on war, with Jason struggling to keep Nico's arms above his head, Nico using his knees to try and shove Jason off of him, popcorn everywhere, and yeah, maybe a little bit of making out.

Nico tugged Jason down closer and kissed him deeply, enjoying the contrast of Jason's warmth above him and the cool granite beneath. Of course, the fantastic kissing was interrupted when Nico decided to drop popcorn down the back of Jason's shirt.

"Oops," he chuckled.

"You're in for it now, di Angelo!" Jason threatened, which Nico would have taken one hundred percent more seriously if the blond hadn't leaned down and kissed him one last time on the cheek.

Two minutes later Nico found the popcorn bag to be entirely empty, which wasn't a surprise considering half of it was in Jason's pants and the other half had probably started renting apartments in Nico's hair.

"You know, we should probably get cleaned up," Jason noted, tracing a finger down Nico's face.

"Yeah, that's what we should be doing," Nico agreed.

The only thing that ended up moving was Jason to place his lips on Nico's all over again. Without thinking about it, the younger boy immediately deepened the kiss, looping his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

In the living room, Nico heard a door open.

"Jason Grace, do you really keep the house key under the mat after all this time?" Came the voice of who Nico could only assume was Jason's sister, Thalia.

And Nico was still reclined on the countertop with Jason more or less on top of him.

"Shit," Jason hissed, scrambling off of the counter and pulling Nico up after him. The boys barely had time to brush the popcorn off of their clothes and fix their hair before she stepped completely into the apartment.

Yeah, so much for the whole _not _making out plan…

Jason's hand found Nico's and he led the boy over to his sister, a wide grin lighting his entire face. There was Thalia, looking a lot different than Nico had pictured, a punk rock type girl with a curious look in her eyes—the exact color of Jason's. Honestly, the younger boy couldn't decide if he wanted to squeeze Jason's hand tighter or tear away from him under his sister's watching eyes.

"You know, Thals, it's polite to knock before entering a home," the blond boy teased, casually brushing his thumb across Nico's knuckles for reassurance.

"I'm your sister, polite isn't part of my job description," she laughed.

"Well, Thalia, my ill-mannered sister, I'd like you to meet Nico, my boyfriend . Nico, this is Thalia."

Jason's sister—surprisingly with black hair, rather than blond—held out a hand to Nico. "Hi Nico, it's _great _to meet you."

Hesitantly, he shook her hand. "Ah, screw it," Thalia decided, going for the full-on hug instead. "I'm a hugger."

Nico stiffened at the initial contact. Jason touching him was one thing, but this girl was not Jason. He stood there awkwardly, trying to reassure himself that touching other people was okay.

"Thals," the younger Grace sibling warned. Thalia released Nico and looked over at her brother.

"What? I don't bite," she flashed Nico a mischievous grin, like the two of them were sharing some private joke, "Usually."

Nico released Jason's hand. Wow, he hadn't talked yet. He really ought to talk. If he didn't say something soon it was going to get uncomfortable.

But what to say?

_I promise I'm not really a murderer._

_So, social interaction isn't exactly my strong suit, please excuse my inevitable awkwardness. _

_Speaking of biting, wanna see the hickey Jason left on my shoulder last night? _

"Um, hey. I'm Nico."

_Yeah, Nico, good one. Real smooth._

Not.

Thalia laughed lightly, "I figured that part out."

"Oh, uh, right. Duh." Damn it, blushing already. Damn pale skin and dark blushes. Damn it all.

"You'll have to excuse Nico. The only person other than me he's talked to lately is Leo," Jason shared.

The black haired girl laughed, "Oh you poor thing! Leo's an acquired taste, trust me. I'd like to think I'm much more…"

"Thalia if you're about to call yourself flavorful I swear I'm walking out the door," Jason said.

"Go ahead, leave me with your cute blushing boyfriend," she smirked. Nico attempted to cover his face.

"_Thalia," _Jason whined.

"Fine. Fine. I'll stop. Hey, do I smell popcorn?"

Nico glanced sideways at Jason and found the blond boy smirking back at him.

"It's inedible, apparently," Nico explained. "Jason _claims _he burned it."

The girl leaned forward and plucked something off of the youngest boy's head.

"So he braided it into your hair?" Thalia inquired.

"Something like that," Jason said, sneaking a quick kiss on Nico's cheek.

"Well, I'm going to make myself some popcorn and _actually _eat it," she declared, starting for the kitchen.

Nico started to follow after her, but Jason grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Hey," he said under his breath once Thalia was out of earshot, "You've got this, okay? Just relax."

"I am the epitome of relaxed," Nico lied. Jason shook his head and brought his lips to Nico's for a single, short kiss.

"Of course you are." The older boy stepped toward the kitchen, only for Nico to grab his shoulders and yank him back for a better kiss. Not as long and passionate as Nico would have liked, but certainly better than nothing.

"Okay, better now."

And he was.

Jason smiled and gave Nico a look that insinuated he really would have liked to keep kissing, but knew they'd have to save it for later.

"What the hell did you do to the kitchen?" Thalia squealed. "There's popcorn everywhere!"

Jason and Nico joined her in the kitchen, where the oldest Grace sibling stared in horror at the popcorn-covered floor and countertop.

"Nico started it," Jason accused.

"Did not. You started it by trying to take the popcorn after saying you didn't want any."

"Boys," Thalia sighed, shaking her head.

…

"So, Nico," Thalia prompted, sitting criss-cross on the countertop with a popcorn bag perched on her legs, "Tell me about yourself."

"I thought Jason already told you everything…" Nico said, shifting uncomfortably. Hadn't he allowed Jason to tell Thalia to avoid having to talk about this himself? Nico was not ready to retell or even listen to the events of his shitty EBJ (existence before Jason). He'd lived it, and that was enough.

"Not _that _stuff. I mean about _you. _I know there's more to you than what they say on the news. What do you like? What do you do for fun? Who is the guy that has my little brother wrapped around his finger?"

Nico couldn't tell who looked more embarrassed, him or Jason. Thalia Grace got straight to business, Nico would give her that. "Uh… I'm really sort of boring."

Across the room, his boyfriend snorted. "Yeah right."

"I used to read. Not as much as Jason, but I've had a lot of time to read during the day now. This one keeps shoving books at me," he nodded in Jason's direction.

A small smile played across Thalia's lips. "I used to force Jason to read all kinds of books when we were younger."

"Remember when you spoiled Harry Potter for me?"

She laughed, "You _told _me you'd already finished _Half Blood Prince._"

The younger Grace rolled his eyes.

"So what else do you do, when Jason isn't forcing books at you?"

_Well, I make out with your brother a lot. And other things. _"Uh…"

"You watch that one TV show," Jason recalled. "And you always yell at the characters."

Nico laughed. Ah, yes. "Supernatural. Yeah, I've been following that show for years, at least when I can."

Thalia perked up, "No kidding! My roommate Phoebe _loves _that show. She always says she's going to marry one of the guys."

"Can't blame her," Nico shrugged.

Jason made a face, "Eh, they're okay, I guess. If you're into that sort of thing."

Nico suppressed a huge smile. "Tell me you aren't jealous of some TV actors, Jay."

"Yeah, _Jay,_" Thalia added.

The blond glared at his sister and crossed to Nico, looping his arm around the boy's waist. "Me? Jealous?" He snuck a kiss on Nico's lips, "Never."

Nico, predictably, felt his face flare up. Jason's affection was quite commonplace, but Thalia smirking in the background made Nico feel awkward as hell. He'd never willingly had an audience while kissing someone before.

And damn it, Jason _had _to start biting his lip afterward. Didn't he realize how hot that was? Nico shoved Jason away before he completely embarrassed himself by like, groaning or trying to remove Jason's clothes or something equally mortifying. Which of course only made Jason grin and run his eyes once up and down Nico's body.

Nico wondered if Jason's life goal was to turn Nico on at the most inconvenient of times. If so, it was working.

"Do I need to, uh, give you two a minute?" Thalia inquired, wiggling her eyebrows. Nico's face grew redder than the freshly painted roses of Wonderland.

"No!" Nico answered immediately.

Jason laughed and finally freed Nico from the intensity of his eyes. "No, we're fine," he promised.

Nico spent the next fifteen minutes trying not to stare at Jason's mouth. He really, _really _tried.

Around ten o'clock Jason's phone began to ring.

"It's just Leo," he said, "I'll text him later."

He declined the call and, almost as if unable to help himself, planted a kiss on Nico's cheek. The trio had moved into the living room and were playing an unreasonably intense game of Monopoly. Together, Nico and Thalia had Jason in the poor house.

The phone rang again.

"Just pick it up," Thalia encouraged, "Maybe it's important."

Jason sighed, "What's up?" He said as greeting into the cell phone.

On the other end, Nico could hear Leo talking animatedly about something, but it was too fast for him to make out any of the words.

"Wait, slow down and start over," Jason said, standing up. _"I'll be right back," _he mouthed to Nico. _"Be nice," _he told Thalia.

Then the blond boy disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Nico alone with Jason's sister.

She grinned widely, as if she had been waiting for this moment all along, and scooted closer.

"Soooo," Thalia said, "My brother really, _really _likes you, you know."

Nico sorted through his rainbow money. "He said that?"

"More or less. But he didn't have to. I know Jason better than anyone, and this is the happiest I've seen him in years."

_Years? _That couldn't be possible. And yet, didn't Nico feel the same way? Despite everything, in that moment he was unimaginably happy. Being around Jason numbed all of Nico's stresses, so was it so unreasonable to think Nico could do the same for him?

"I don't want to hurt him," Nico said quietly, surprising himself.

"I don't want you to hurt him, either," Thalia admitted, "So we're on the same page."

Nico frowned. "For what it's worth, I tried to do what was best for him and stay away. It's just—I just—and he just—it just _happened_."

"Hey, the way I see it, you can't predict the future any more than you can change the past, Nico. And if you two make each other happy, who knows, maybe you _are _what's best for him," she suggested.

_Even if I get him killed? _

"Thanks, Thalia," Nico mumbled, "For, uh, not hating me. And stuff."

She smiled, perhaps a little melancholy, "You didn't choose your life. I hate that you have to go through all of this, but I could never hate you for trying to be happy." Thalia laughed. "Although if you beat me in this game I may reconsider."

Nico laughed with her.

They were still laughing when Jason returned.

"So what did Leo want?" Thalia inquired.

The blond shrugged. "What does Leo ever want?"

Nico destroyed his boyfriend in Monopoly.

…

"Okay, so I'll be sure to stop by again before my flight leaves, okay?" Thalia said, squeezing her younger brother in a hug as she prepared to leave. Nico figured it probably had to be two or three in the morning.

"Sounds great, Thals. I'll text you."

They broke apart and the older Grace sibling fixed her attention on Nico. "It was great meeting you, Nico. Really, it was."

Nico smiled. Despite being a little intimidated by the girl, he had to admit she was just as great as Jason had always described her. He found himself wishing that she didn't live across the country. "Yeah, you too."

"We'll see each other soon." Thalia stepped into her boots. "You two take care of each other, kay?"

Jason reached out and took Nico's hand. "We will," he promised.

Thalia winked at Nico and left.

What had _that _been about, he wondered. Was Jason's sister trying to tell him something?

He didn't have time to dwell on it.

Jason pulled Nico closer and started to kiss down the side of his face. "I do love Thalia, but I've also been wanting to do this for _hours,_" he admitted.

Nico chuckled and tried not to act like his heart was beating hard enough to burst out of his chest.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Alone time is nice."

"Let's go to bed," Jason whispered.

And they did, but neither of them got much sleep.


	13. Good Intentions

_A/N: Here we are, unlucky number thirteen. I'll have you all know I edited this with a fever and a headache because I love my readers so much._

* * *

**CH. 13—Good Intentions (They Say The Road To Hell Is Paved With These)**

"I'm going to miss her," Nico declared Wednesday night as he and Jason lay cuddled up in bed.

Jason sighed and planted a kiss on the younger boy's forehead. "Me too. It's hard, never getting to see her. But hopefully that won't be a problem in a few months."

_Oh, right, Stanford._ Nico's heart sank. Jason's big dream of moving to California after graduation. Getting into Stanford would be a huge honor _and_ Jason would get to live with his sister. After meeting Thalia for himself, Nico could understand why he would want that. And Nico should have wanted it for him. There was just one problem…

If Jason moved to California, what would happen to Nico?

He hated himself for even asking that question. Jason's life did not revolve around Nico. And he'd wanted Stanford for years, he'd only really known Nico a month. Wanting to keep Jason close was selfish. So selfish. Beyond selfish. Not to mention the fact that Jason was not supposed to be a permanent thing in Nico's life. Saving his mother, _that _was the plan, right? He thought about it day and night. Thought about his mother, scared and alone, not even sure if Nico was alive or dead. And she—Maria di Angelo—was Nico's priority. He couldn't allow Jason Grace to mess with that plan, love be damned.

And yet, he couldn't shake the absolute _dread _at the thought of being separated from the blond. Why did he have to go and fall in love at the most inconvenient of times? Why did he have to care so deeply for this guy that he couldn't imagine losing him any more than he could imagine losing his mother?

He needed to get a grip. There was no need to make any major decisions yet. He could live in this fantasy world a while longer.

"When are you supposed to be hearing from Stanford?" Nico asked, unable to stop himself.

"Sometime next week, probably."

The dark haired boy nodded, placing soft kisses across Jason's collarbone.

"So," Jason prompted a minute later, "What did Thalia want to talk to you about in private before she left?"

Under the cover of darkness and with his face in the crook of Jason's neck, Nico thanked the gods that Jason couldn't see how cherry red his face got.

"What your sister and I talk about in private is between me and your sister," he chuckled, moving to kiss the blond's cheek.

"Should I be worried?" Jason asked, running his fingers through Nico's hair.

"Nah," Nico replied, recalling his earlier conversation with Thalia Grace.

"_Why did you kick Jason out of the apartment?" _

"_Girl talk," Thalia announced with a wicked grin. _

_Nico's stomach churned. "We aren't having sex!" He blurted._

_Thalia laughed and shook her head. "Oh, I know. That's not what I wanted to talk about."_

_Nico buried his face in his hands. When did Jason and Thalia talk about his and Jason's sex life?_

"_Well, talk away, I'm sure I can't be any more mortified than I already am." He declared, letting his hands fall to his sides._

"_Are you in love with Jason?" She inquired. _

_Nico was wrong. He definitely could be more mortified. _

_The look on his face must have said it all, because Thalia simply nodded. "I thought so."_

"_You can't say anything to Jason. Please. Please don't tell him. Everything is so complicated with me right now and he just—he can't know. Okay? Please."_

_Thalia surprised Nico by pulling him in for a quick hug. He still wasn't quite sure how to handle non-Jason people touching him, but he hugged back anyway, if not a little awkwardly. _

"_I won't breathe a word to him, I promise." _

"_Thanks."_

"_Nico?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Despite everything, I'm really glad that Jason has you. And I know Jason is too. He cares about you a lot. A lot."_

_Nico wondered if Jason had told her that, or if she had surmised it just by being around him. If so, what else had she observed? Nico resisted the urge to ask her. _

"_Can't you stay a few more days?" Nico frowned._

_The girl smiled sadly, brushing his hair away from his face the same way Jason always did. "I wish. But don't worry, I know we'll meet again. And feel free to call me, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

Nico wondered if he ever actually would see Thalia again. This thing with Jason could never be permanent, no matter how much Nico wished otherwise, and that thought clawed at Nico's insides. How long did Jason and Nico have left before everything came crashing down?

…

Jason had dominantly thought of one thing for the past few days: Leo's phone call. The news he'd shared with Jason. And what Jason should do about it.

The issue had been a moot point between Nico and Jason for a while now, and Jason didn't know if acting on what Leo had told him would tear open old wounds or help seal them.

"So, I have a possible plan for rescuing your mom," Jason casually mentioned over breakfast Thursday morning. Nico, who sat cross-legged across from Jason on the bed, frowned.

"And what would that be?"

"Me," he replied. "Your dad has no idea who I am, right? So I could—"

"No." Nico interrupted, his voice unwavering. "Absolutely not."

"You didn't even hear what I had to say," Jason complained.

"The answer is still no. I'm not allowing you to put yourself in harm's way, Jason. My mother's safety is not worth you losing your _life. _And rest assured, if my father found out about… this," he pointed between the two of them, "He wouldn't hesitate in…" Nico stared down at his plate.

_Killing you. _The two words he wouldn't say echoed in Jason's ears—the loudest of them all.

"Okay, I get it," Jason hated lying to Nico. "I'll drop it."

His mind was made up.

…

Jason knew what needed to be done, but first he had to go to work. He supposed his plan could wait another day.

Instantly upon entering the store, Jason sensed something wasn't right, but it took him a moment to actually process. Behind the cash register, where Annabeth usually sat reading, was a boy with black hair and familiar sea green eyes.

"Percy?" Jason exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Annabeth has the flu, so I'm filling in for her today. Chiron's okay with it," Percy Jackson explained, flashing a smile full of white teeth.

Recently, Jason had been paying more attention to Percy. Two months ago he couldn't have cared less about what went on in the life of Annabeth's laid-back boyfriend. But that was before Nico di Angelo had happened. And, even though it may not have been a particularly close friendship, Percy seemed to be one of the few people in school who had actually known Nico and cared about who he was before the disappearance. That fact alone was enough to capture Jason's attention. How was it that Percy Jackson became friends with Bianca and Nico? Did he know about their father's abusive tendencies? Was that why he was hesitant to believe that Nico was Bianca's killer?

Jason wished he could just ask without being, for lack of better words, _completely fucking obvious. _

"How've you been, Jason?" Percy asked.

"Same old same old," Jason shrugged. "You?"

"Good, although I think it's _just _hitting my mom that I'm graduating in three months. What about your mom?"

Jason shrugged. Most people remembered Jason's mother as the typical stay-at-home trophy wife. Very few people knew what had become of the beautiful Beryl Grace. "Guess it hasn't really phased her. I'm not her first kid to leave home."

"Oh yeah, your sister. Thalia. She's in San Fran, isn't she? That's where Annabeth's family is from."

A tall blonde woman in her late thirties came through the door, interrupting the boys' conversation. "Excuse me, do you sell newspapers?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jason gestured at the multiple different newspapers on a rack near the cash register.

The woman waltzed forward and grabbed one that was_—of course—_all about the search for Nico di Angelo: Teenage Murderer.

Jason rubbed his forehead. Nico was everywhere. His name in the halls, his old school yearbook picture in the papers, his taste still lingering on Jason's lips...

Once she left, Percy made a disgusted noise. "You think in a city this big they'd find something new to talk about. It makes me sick."

"Tell me about it," Jason agreed, "Have you been watching the news lately?" His hand balled into a fist, which he quickly loosened. Best for him not to get too passionate about the matter here.

"I had to stop. All these people, it's like they're so sure. So certain that Nico did it and… I'm just not. Maybe I'm an idiot for saying that, but—"

"I don't think you're an idiot."

Percy looked at him with honest surprise and confusion. "Really?"

Jason backtracked. "It's just, there's still a lot about the murder that we don't know, right? There weren't even any witnesses. They're focusing all their attention on tracking down Nico, but they can't even be certain he's guilty."

"Exactly!" Percy's eyes brightened. "I know Nico, and he may seem really shady and unfriendly, but trust me, he is actually a really decent guy and he loves… _loved_ his sister probably more than anyone."

Jason let out a deep breath, "Yeah, I know." Percy raised an eyebrow. Jason mentally slapped himself, "I mean, I bet he did. They always seemed to stick together at school… and stuff."

Okay, Jason officially needed to get to work before he put his foot back in his mouth.

"I should go see what Chiron needs me to do today," he declared.

"See you around, Jason," Percy said. As Jason walked toward the back of the store, he could feel Percy's eyes on his back.

…

"Just come with us tonight," Piper pleaded through the phone the following day. "The party starts around nine and Mitchell has been asking about you literally all week."

"I think I have the flu, Pipes," Jason lied, his breath puffing in the unseasonably cold afternoon air. He should have brought a heavier coat. When would Jason ever learn? Stupid New York spring break, this was still winter for crying out loud. "It's going around, you know."

"Liar. You better be avoiding Mitchell and not me."

Guilt hit Jason like an unobservant cab driver. Yes, technically it was Mitchell he was dodging, but that didn't mean he particularly wanted to spend time with Piper, either. She hadn't done anything wrong, she was still one of his best friends and Jason loved her to pieces, but his secrets made a wall around him and letting anybody else inside was too big of a risk. Still, that didn't stop Jason from feeling like a big bag of dicks around her when he knew he was lying directly to her face. This was _much _easier.

"How could I avoid you when you call so much?" He teased.

"I hate you. Please consider coming to the party. Please."

He turned the corner, eyeing the street sign. Mercer Street. If Leo was right, then this was the place. "Hey, Pipes, I gotta go. But I'll think about tonight and get back to you, okay?"

She sighed, "Yeah, okay Jason. Later."

"Later." He pocketed the phone.

The street wasn't particularly exciting for New York. Apartment buildings with fire escape stairs climbing down their faces. The road—surprisingly cobblestone and not cement—had little traffic for lunch hour. Even fewer people walked the sidewalks. A residential area of SoHo, not too far from Little Italy.

Just as Leo had described it.

Jason straightened his back, took a deep breath, and headed toward the particular building Leo told him about on the phone the night Thalia had visited.

"_Leo, what's up?" Jason asked, heading into his bedroom, "Thalia is over."_

"_Wait, over at your apartment? You hide di Angelo under your bed or something?"_

"_No, I told her. Long story. And that's not why you called."_

"_Oh, right!" Jason heard Leo snap his fingers. "I have news for you!" _

"_I figured as much."_

"_Dude, you talk like some old timey book character from English class. But whatever, we'll talk about that later. I found something out today about your lover boy."_

_Jason went rigid. "What?"_

"_Well, you see, I was just minding my own business, walking around town and all, stopping by a couple different Starbucks looking for the ladies. Girls treat that place like a church, I swear."_

"_Leo," Jason said "The point." Leo Valdez could win prizes for his extreme level of ADHD. How he and Jason had been best friends for most of their lives was a mystery. _

"_Yeah, I'm getting to it, Grace. Pipe down. Hey, Pipe down, I could use that on Piper sometime."_

"_Leo!"_

"_Right, right. So anyway, I'm at this Starbucks in SoHo and you know who walks in and orders a grande Americano?"_

"_Who?" Jason demanded._

"_Hades di Angelo! That's who!"_

_Jason froze. "What?"_

"_I know! Small world, right?"_

"_So what did you do?"_

"_Oh, you know, waltzed up to him and asked him to please not murder me and then gave him your home address."_

_Jason rolled his eyes. "Not funny."_

"_Well I did what any good wingman would do, of course! I followed him home."_

"_WHAT?"_

"_Yup. But don't worry about my safety or anything, I followed with plenty of distance. I know how you worry about me."_

"_You're sure it was his building?" _

"_He walked right through the front door, so I'm pretty sure. I jotted down the address."_

"_Give it to me."_

Jason stared up at the brick building, six stories tall with obvious signs of aging and a fire escape decorating the front. It was the kind of place that looked like it may actually house people, unlike Jason's home, which resembled a business skyscraper.

But Jason knew the building was far from warm and fuzzy. It was a murder site. Bianca di Angelo's life had been taken within those walls. Nico had been abused by his father for years. His mother still lived there, alone with a murderer.

And that was what drew Jason here. He had promised Nico that he would help save Maria di Angelo. He would do it for Nico, because he loved him. Loved him so much he could barely stand it.

Jason recalled the previous morning, when Nico had been so adamant about Nico not getting involved. But how could he sit back? If Jason could do something to help, how could he possibly not? This was something that Jason could do that Nico could not. He could go to Nico's old home. He could try and gather information on Maria. Maybe even talk to her if he was lucky enough. Maria could be rescued by this time next week.

_And then she and Nico will run away and you'll never see him again._

Jason shook the thought away. He wouldn't think like that. He was not selfish enough to try and keep Nico close, not when his life was in danger every day he stayed in the country. Jason's feelings did not matter in this, Nico's wellbeing did.

But now that he was here, just feet away from the front doors, Jason realized he had absolutely no idea what to do. It wasn't like he could just waltz in and say, "Hello, yes, I'm looking for Maria di Angelo, I'm her son's boyfriend. Can you call her down?"

He'd tried to come up with a plan on the walk over here, but still found himself with no more than a faint idea of what to do. Oh well, too late to worry about that now. He steeled his nerves and crossed the street, heading for the doors.

He didn't even make it it that far. Just as Jason reached the building, he collided with a tall, imposing man holding a briefcase. The briefcase clattered to the pavement and Jason stumbled back, nearly losing his balance.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, dropping down to scoop up the fallen item.

"It's okay, we all find ourselves distracted sometimes, don't we?"

Jason looked up at the man, nearly dropping the briefcase all over again. He knew that voice. He'd heard it multiple times on the news. And he definitely knew that face. Pale skin, dark hair, an angular face with deep-set eyes.

This was Nico's father. This was Hades di Angelo.

Jason had been prepared for multiple scenarios of how this trip could go, but running into Hades outside of his building at only two o'clock on a Friday wasn't one of them. Didn't this man have a _job? _

With great sickness, Jason realized he could see a family resemblance between father and son. The same dark eyes and pale skin, the same blackish hair. But Hades' eyes held none of Nico's warmth. They were black coals on a lined, unforgiving face.

Jason flexed his fingers, resisting the urge to ball his hands into fists. This was the filth who had scarred Nico, physically and emotionally, for years. The man who had murdered Nico's greatest source of joy. The man who had let his own son get blamed for a crime he didn't commit. Jason wanted to kill him. He wanted to paint the fucking sidewalk with his blood.

But that would make him no better than the di Angelo patriarch. If Jason wanted to save Maria, he needed to be sneaky.

"I suppose I am a little distracted today," Jason admitted. What to do now? He could turn back, yes. That would probably be safer. But could he really turn his back on this opportunity? What were the odds of running in to the murderer himself?

So he did something stupid. He went with it. "Um, do I know you? I swear I've seen you somewhere." He handed the briefcase back to the man, managing not to flinch as Hades' hands came within inches of Jason's.

Hades appraised Jason carefully, an unreadable expression on his face. "Perhaps you do. My name is Hades. And I presume you are Jupiter Grace's son?"

Jason's froze, his blood turning to ice in his veins and stopping short of his heart. "You—you knew my father?"

"Yes, we attended Columbia together back in the day, and you truly are a spitting image of him, without the dark hair of course. You must get that a lot. I heard about his passing in the papers a while back. How unfortunate."

Jason didn't know how to feel about any of that. He hated being compared to his father but the fact that this monster had been friends—even if only old acquaintances—with his dad bothered him even more. "Yes, it is always hard to lose a family member."

Hades frowned. "Indeed."

He couldn't run now. "Wait," Jason said, "I know where I've seen you. Your daughter, Bianca, she—"

"Yes. It's been quite hard on our family. Her loss."

Jason nearly choked the life out of him. How dare Hades act sad. The murdering bastard.

_You are never laying a hand on Nico again. _

"Your kids went to my school, actually. Bianca was a great girl. How is your wife coping?"

"What a small world. The incident has certainly taken its toll on Maria, she barely leaves the apartment I'm afraid."

"It must be especially hard for her. Both of her children gone."

Hades' face revealed nothing. He was almost too composed, considering he should be in mourning. "What did you say your name was, Mr. Grace?"

"Jason."

"Honey?" A voice asked. Jason and Hades both turned to the door. At the top of the steps stood a woman, olive-skinned and dark-haired. She had probably once been beautiful, but exhaustion and grief had aged her. Still, the resemblance to Bianca was obvious. Maria di Angelo, no doubt about it.

"Maria, what are you doing walking around? You should be upstairs."

"I wanted tea. We're out of tea bags."

Hades rubbed his forehead. "I'll go to the store and get you more tea after dinner, okay?"

"Okay," she said softly. For a moment, her eyes connected with Jason's—pale brown and swimming with absolute, all consuming grief.

So close, yet so far.

_Nico is alive, _he wanted to tell her. _Come with me, please. You don't have to stay with this murderous bastard. _

"Maria," Hades chided gently. The moment between Jason and Maria broke. Her eyes flitted to her husband, for a moment filling with a new emotion. Fear? Jason couldn't be sure from here, but the feeling was so strong that the air seemed saturated with it. Tension coursed through Jason's body.

Then Maria di Angelo turned around and stepped back into the building. Jason's shoulders slumped with defeat. That could have been his golden opportunity, and now it was gone.

"I should get going," Jason said, still staring at the doors Maria had disappeared through.

"Well, Jason Grace, it was a nice surprise to meet you. Perhaps we will meet again."

"Perhaps he will." _Except you'll be behind bars._

The polite thing would be to shake Hades' hand, but Jason could not bear to touch him. He started down the street without another word.

…

When Jason returned home, he found Nico sprawled across the mattress, a book propped against a pillow in front of him.

"Hey," the younger boy greeted with a smile, "Have fun doing inventory?"

Knowing how Nico would react if Jason told him where he really planned on going that afternoon, he'd instead made up a story about needing to help with take inventory at Delphi for a few hours.

"Boring," he lied. "What are you reading now?"

"Uh, _A picture of_ _Dorian Gray. _You were right, Wilde is brilliant."

"I am always right," Jason joked, crawling onto the bed and planting a kiss on the other boy's cheek.

"Mmhm," Nico mumbled, drawing Jason in closer for a real kiss.

They melted together, Jason rolling to his back with Nico on top, arms and legs and tongues tangling together. A nearly perfect moment.

Nearly.

Jason knew he should tell Nico where he really went. Nico deserved to know that his mother, for the time being, was okay. Jason couldn't lie to _Nico_. Not about something like this.

"I need to tell you something," Jason whispered against the dark haired boy's lips.

"What's up?" Nico asked, tilting his head in confusion and pulling back slightly.

"Remember when Leo called me the night Thalia was here?"

"Yes," he replied suspiciously.

"Well, he told me about… don't freak out, okay?"

"Jason?" Nico sounded nervous now.

"He saw your father. At a coffee shop. And followed him home."

Nico cursed. "What an idiot, what a fucking idiot. If I could wipe his memory I'd—"

"I went there today," Jason blurted. Literally blurted. Like Jason physically couldn't help but tell Nico the truth.

Suddenly, there was no Nico on top of Jason. "You _what?_" He demanded. "What the hell were you thinking, Jason!?"

"I said not to freak out," the blond muttered.

"And you said you'd drop it, Jason!" Nico whisper-yelled. "You _told me _you would let it go!"

"I'm sorry, but Nico you're my boyfriend and I can't just sit around when there are things I can do to help. Look, you're stressing over nothing. The whole reason I'm telling you this is because I saw your mother."

Nico paused for a minute, clearly torn between concern for his mother and anger at Jason. "How did you see her? How was she doing?"

"She looked good, considering. Tired, sad, but alive. I didn't get to talk to her though, she was just telling your father something about tea and—"

Nico stiffened, getting off of the bed altogether. "My _father?_"

_Shit. Shit. _

"I wasn't planning on running into him, Nico, I swear. I just wanted some form of confirmation that your mom was okay and then I literally ran into him and—"

"You. Spoke. To. My. Father?" Now Jason could see the family resemblance more than ever. Nico looked ready to kill, and Jason was his victim.

"Just for a minute. I wasn't obvious though. It's fine. He knew my father apparently, but I did nothing to make him suspicious."

"That you know of," Nico spat. "God, you idiot! You mother fucking idiot! How many times have I told you to stay away from him, Jason? He could have killed you! Do you want to _die, _you fucking dumbass!"

"Nico—"

"No," Nico hissed, a fire burning in his eyes "Don't even talk to me. I can barely look at you right now. Don't you understand how hard I am trying to keep you safe? We're already risking enough by being together and you have to go and poke the bear, don't you? Always have to be the hero!"

"Nico—"

"Well you won't look like much of a hero when you die needlessly! You die and Hades finds me and then what? Will he send me straight to the cops? Maybe torture me some more? What about my mother, Jason? You couldn't just do this _one _thing. You can make straight A's in school but you fail when it comes to self-preservation!"

Jason felt like punching through a wall. Didn't Nico get that he was only trying to help save the boy he loved? Yes, Nico was safely tucked away in his apartment now, but that solution came with an expiration date. The only real way out was to get Maria away from Hades and prove Nico's innocence, and Nico couldn't do that alone.

"What other choice do we have? You go outside, you risk your safety! I care about you and I want to help! I _can _help."

"You help by being here, with me," Nico said in a low, angry voice. Never had Jason seen him so enraged. "Not by being a dumbass and skipping around under my father's nose."

"Stop calling me a dumbass," Jason snapped, getting up and crossing to the bathroom.

Why was Nico being so unreasonable?

"Stop fucking acting like one," the other boy replied. "You're my boyfriend, not my bodyguard."

"And your boyfriend should just sit around helpless all day when there are things he can do to help you?"

"I'm not asking you to save me!"

"You're impossible!" Jason yelled, slamming the bathroom door.

"You're the impossible one!" Nico replied, hitting the door with his open palm. "I knew this would happen. You just can't leave well enough alone. I'm not going to let you get hurt over this."

Jason swung the door open. "Oh yeah?" He asked sharply. "How do you plan on stopping me? You can't even leave the room."

Dark eyes narrowed at Jason, full of absolute, barely contained ferocity. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get the fuck out of my face."

"Nico—"

"If you don't, I will," he threatened.

This was stupid. They shouldn't be fighting over this. But at the moment, Jason's blood boiled too hot for him to think clearly. Maybe he _could _use some air.

"Fine." Jason said, storming past Nico and yanking his jacket from his desk chair.

He left without looking back.

…

Nico hoped Mrs. Grace was deep in a drunken slumber. He was pretty sure she was in the apartment right now, and well… the argument that had started out quiet enough had nearly turned into a shouting match by the time it ended.

Nico screamed into a pillow. Stupid stupid stupid Jason Grace. Why did Nico have to fall in love with the world's most suicidal dumbass?

He sure didn't love him right now. Nico felt mad enough to push Jason down a flight of stairs. How _dare _he go against Nico's one—his biggest—request and so blatantly put his life in danger? And then rub it in Nico's face that there was _nothing _Nico could do to help his mother _or _stop Jason from doing so.

Well, there was _one _thing Nico could do. He could leave.

Would Jason stop placing himself in the line of fire if Nico left?

He didn't like to think that way. Couldn't Nico be Jason's boyfriend without also being his burden?

The only reason Nico had remained sane thus far was because of Jason. Without him… where would Nico be now?

It wasn't fair. Jason could get out. Walk around. Breathe in the fresh air.

And Nico was a prisoner.

"_You can't even leave the room," _Jason had said.

_Oh yeah, Jason? _Nico thought, removing his coat from the closet. _Watch me. _

…

Kicked out of his own apartment. Yeah, Jason had really done it this time.

By the time the sun began to set, Jason had walked so many blocks he lost count. On Houston Street he'd nearly been hit by a taxi, much to the driver's annoyance.

Jason had screamed something at him along the lines of "Yeah, fuck off, buddy!"

Cab driver thought _he _was having a bad day?

Jason's stomach felt like one huge pretzel. A cold fist clenched around his heart, squeezing it so hard he thought it may burst from the pressure—and not in the good way this time. Nico di Angelo was the single least sensible person in the universe. Jason had just been fucking trying to help him! Trying to get him what he wanted most, his mother. And then, when Jason returned with actual news about her, rather than appreciate Jason's honesty and thoughtfulness, Nico blew up at him.

Jason's fists hadn't unclenched since he left the apartment. Once his feet began to go numb, he took a left, toward the Hudson, and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" A male voice answered. Definitely not Piper, but he _knew _that's who he called. "Jason?"

"Yes, it's Jason. Who is this?"

"Mitchell," the voice answered. Right, Mitchell. Of course.

"Hey," he said, "Can you put Piper on?"

"She's upstairs getting ready. How are you? You going to Khione's party tonight?"

"Yeah, yeah, tell Piper I'll be there."

…

Nico had forgotten what it felt like to be so cold.

Damn this city. Why the hell did people come here for _vacation? _Nico crossed a street, the lights of the Empire State Building far in the distance taunting him.

What did Jason like about that place so much anyway?

Stupid fucking Jason and his romanticized ideas. This wasn't some exciting novel, this was the real world. And in the real world, the good guys rarely prevailed.

The sun had disappeared into the west only thirty minutes ago, but the temperature had already dropped probably ten degrees. Nico shivered and stumbled along with no idea where he was going.

He wasn't ready to go back to the apartment yet. He didn't even know _if _he could go back at all. Wouldn't going back send the message that Nico wasn't serious about wanting Jason to stay away from his father? If he wanted Jason to truly be safe, then leaving once and for all would be better.

Except Nico wasn't able to think like that yet. Even now, Nico felt homesick. Fucking homesick for an apartment that shouldn't have been home for him.

No, that wasn't right. This was Jason sickness.

They'd never had a fight before, not since the night they kissed, and even that had been nothing compared to this.

He'd never imagined he could hate and love someone so much at the same time, but apparently Jason was the exception to a lot of things.

Even though no one could really see him in the dim light, Nico kept his head low as he walked. The last thing he needed tonight was to be spotted by some random New Yorker.

Maybe Nico was just as stupid as Jason, but he wasn't going to think about that now.

Nico was so distracted, he didn't notice the payphone booth until he literally crashed into it.

"Fucking thing," he cursed. How did these dinosaurs even exist anymore? It was 2014 for fuck's sake. Everyone had a cell phone.

Well, everyone except for Nico, but that was beside the point. He'd _had _a cell phone, back when life was his twisted version of normal.

When was the last time a pathetic loser had used one of these things?

The idea struck him instantly.

Today. Right now. Because wasn't Nico _king _of the pathetic losers?

The ten emergency dollars and assortment of coins he had guiltily swiped off of a jar on the kitchen counter on his way out didn't seem so foolish now.

Swallowing hard, Nico reached for the phone, inserting the money with his other hand. Then he dialed the number. The phone number he knew by heart, even better than his own.

And for the next thirty seconds, the phone simply rang. Nico considered if maybe he'd wasted some of his precious money on a useless call. Then the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello?" The woman prompted. "Who is this?"

"Mom," Nico whispered. It was her voice. Actually _her _voice, after over a month. "Mom, it's me. It's Nico."

* * *

_A/N 2: *Evil Laugh* See you all on Friday for the next (and last regularly scheduled) update! After 14 the chapters will be posted randomly, as I am only on 15 myself. _


	14. Drunk In Love

**CH. 14—Drunk In Love (Or Just Plain Drunk)**

"Nico," Maria di Angelo's voice was unreadable. "You're alive. Thank God."

"So are you. Where is… he?" Saying "Dad" didn't sound right anymore.

"At the store. But he'll be back soon, Nico. Where are you? Are you safe? You shouldn't have called."

"I'm using a payphone somewhere in…" He looked around. "Chinatown."

"You're still in New York?" She hissed. "Out in the open? Have you lost your mind, dear?"

"Mom, I'm fine, I've been staying with a—"

"No," she interrupted, her voice full of panic. "Don't tell me. I can't know where you are. Nico, you need to get out of New York. If your father knew—"

"I couldn't leave without you. Grab whatever you can from the apartment and get out now, okay? I'm on my way."

Before he could hang up, his mother shouted, "No! Nico, you can't. You can't come anywhere near me."

Fissures formed on the surface of Nico's heart. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere without you, and you can't stay with him."

"I am the parent here, Nico. Get out of the city now. It's not safe for you."

Nico's voice was high with desperation, "Mom—"

"I'll be fine. And when the time is right, maybe I will be able to get away, but not now."

"Mom, you're a witness, he'd kill you before he would let you get away."

His mother said nothing to that. "Get out. Now. And you can't call me again. It's not safe."

"I—I can't—"

"You can. I love you. Addio, mio caro."

"Mo—"

The line went dead.

"Damn it," Nico cursed, slamming the phone back into place. "Damn it. Damn it!"

How could he save his mother when she didn't even want to be saved? Weeks of struggling for a way to rescue her, and his mother didn't want him to. _She_ was trying to protect _Nico._

But Nico knew he could never leave without her. He couldn't. He wouldn't dream of it. All along, his goal hadn't been to get revenge on his father, not to clear his name, not to walk free under the sun, his biggest wish had been just to get his mother. To escape with her and never see his father again.

Now, he was utterly lost.

Nico slumped against the telephone booth, sliding down the wall until he lay slumped on the floor, and began to cry.

Tears were so useless. God, Nico hated crying. Try as he might, he couldn't stop the feeling of hopelessness from turning to liquid and spilling from his eyes. Fuck his father. Fuck his self-sacrificing mother. Fuck Jason. Fuck the whole fucked up world. He didn't quite know which of them he was crying for anymore. Perhaps all of them.

Where did Nico go from here?

Maybe he should listen to his mother. If she wouldn't go with him, then the sooner Nico got out of town, the better. Why hang around in a city where everyone knew your face and wanted to see you behind bars?

He still had ten dollars in his pocket. Not much, but more than he had when he ran away the first time. Maybe, in time, his mom would be able to get away too. Maybe they would find each other. And they could be safe, just like Nico had dreamed of.

The safest option. The smartest option. Right?

_You know that isn't the right decision, _his conscience whispered. _Running away isn't the answer. _

Nico scolded himself. Of course running away was the fucking answer. Staying in New York was practically suicide. And why bother? What did he have here, if not his mother?

Nothing. Nothing to hold him.

_Liar, _his heart accused.

Jason Grace.

Jason _Fucking _Grace.

He'd never been part of Nico's plan. Nico had been right to try and shake him initially. He should never have fit into this equation. Should not be even a blip-it on Nico's radar.

But that didn't matter anymore. Jason, for better or for worse, had rooted himself in Nico's heart, and no amount of anger or fear or frustration could destroy that. Nico loved him. God, did he ever love him.

And well, he supposed that Jason must have cared a lot too, to do something as stupid as tracking down Nico's old apartment building. People did stupid shit because they cared, right? That counted for something.

Jason was still an idiot, though. Caring or not, Nico didn't need to date some hero. He didn't want to love someone so willing to put himself in danger. He didn't want to lose Jason. He couldn't. In all of the insanity, the loss, and the fear, Jason was there, a lighthouse flashing through the darkness.

The problem was, Nico couldn't seem to walk away any more than he could sit around and watch the boy he loved endanger his life. Love. What a contradiction it was.

Ever since realizing the depth of his feelings, the word swirled around inside of him. This was what it meant to be in love with someone. No matter how angry he got, no matter how much he wanted to punch Jason in his perfect fucking face, he couldn't turn away from him. He couldn't turn away from the feelings Jason stirred inside of him.

He just couldn't.

So he turned around.

And went back.

Cursing himself the whole way.

…

Jason, Piper, Leo, and Mitchell stood outside of Khione Winters' building, staring up at the stone facade.

"Wow," Leo whistled. "Her family must be loaded."

Jason didn't care.

"Well, Valdez, if you're done gawking, I'd like to see how you New Yorkers party," Mitchell said, his eyes landing on Jason, even though he spoke to Leo.

Jason didn't care about that, either. He'd be happy to pretend Mitchell didn't exist at all, and he also didn't care if that made him a dick.

He wasn't here to cheat on his boyfriend.

_If he _is _still your boyfriend, _a voice whispered in his mind. Jason shook it off.

Rule number one of the night: don't dwell on what happened with Nico.

Rule number one was easier said than done.

"Yeah, let's go inside," he said, starting forward without waiting for the rest of the group. He needed loud music. He needed music so loud he couldn't think.

By the time the others caught up, Jason had already summoned the elevator. Leo and Mitchell argued over New York parties versus LA parties as they rode up. Piper shot Jason a look of concern.

_You okay? _She mouthed.

Jason ignored her. Piper's concern grew.

On the way to Piper's, Jason had been forced to stop and throw up in an alley behind a restaurant. It hadn't been pleasant.

Could heartsickness lead to _actual _sickness?

Maybe he _did _have the flu after all.

The sound of the party floored Jason the second he stepped out of the elevator, pounding through the walls. A wonder the cops hadn't shown up. Though, the residents of the building had surely grown used to the noise.

A word or two about Khione Winters: Her father came from money, as did his father, and his father's father, and his father's father's—you get it. The family moved to Manhattan from Quebec City three years ago and since then, the three children had become exceptionally popular through their parties. Their single father spent most of his weekends conducting business in Canada, leaving his luxurious financial district penthouse apartment with his three little angels.

A poor decision, Jason mused as he walked through the front door and was floored by the sheer number of teenagers. Or, not _all _teenagers, Jason supposed. Khione's older fraternal twin brothers Cal and Zethes had graduated the previous year and were now attending NYU. A miracle, considering they must have had a combined IQ of twelve. But Jason figured their father had more to do with that than anything.

The air stank of alcohol. Beer and vodka and tequila and God only knew what else floated around in cups. Music shook the room. People packed every corner, jumping and dancing and kissing and—_whatever _those girls were doing on the table.

"I wonder if Calypso is here!" Leo yelled, leaning in close so Jason could hear him.

"I wonder if anyone in the senior class _isn't _here," Jason retorted. This party idea had sounded like a good distraction, but now that he was there, Jason felt claustrophobic and irritated and he wanted nothing more than to go home, cuddle up with Nico, and watch a movie.

_Too bad he hates you._

"Want to dance or something?" Mitchell asked, barely heard above the music. He casually brushed his hand against Jason, who flinched in response.

"I need a drink," Jason muttered, walking away.

Jason Grace, who never drank , especially not at parties. Who almost never went to parties to begin with.

"Hey, Jason!" Connor Stoll greeted, pushing a cup into Jason's hand. "Try this! Trav and I came up with it ourselves."

Jason didn't question, he took a sip.

The alcohol burned in his throat, nearly causing the blond to choke. "What the hell is in this?"

"Don't ask," Connor grinned, disappearing into the crowd and leaving the cup with Jason.

The absolutely disgusting drink.

Without a second thought, Jason downed half of the cup. This time, he did choke a little.

"Can I try?" Mitchell asked, once again appearing beside him. What the hell was with this dude? Jason could have told him to shove off, but didn't really see the point. Just because he was in a bad mood, didn't mean he had to be a total asshole.

Wordlessly, Jason thrust the drink at him. The other boy smiled and took a sip. The smile faded. "This tastes like someone poured four different drinks into one cup!" He yelled.

Jason shrugged. Mitchell handed back the cup with a puzzled look on his face. "You're really quiet tonight," he announced barely heard over the music.

_I don't want to be here anymore. _

And Jason knew Mitchell hadn't done anything wrong, but looking at the boy only upset him more. He had dark hair, almost black like Nico's, but his eyes were green and his skin was tan and he kept looking at Jason like he was expecting something from him.

"I'm always quiet," he snapped, finishing the cup and making his way into the crowd.

…

Two hours and countless drinks later, Jason found himself in a room upstairs with a group of college students he'd never met. They were loud, crude, lewd, and probably the last people Jason would normally associate himself with.

Which made it the perfect place to hide from his friends and get absolutely plastered.

He supposed the group wasn't so awful, they didn't pry, they kept the alcohol moving, and most importantly—they didn't utter a single word about Nico di Angelo.

A fist closed around Jason's heart and he took a long gulp straight from the bottle of tequila he'd been clutching for the last twenty minutes.

"Hey, maybe you should slow down a little—Jordan? Justin?" One of the girls asked. Jason had heard a guy call her Lou Ellen. He thought. Honestly, it was hard to keep anything straight in his mind other than the fact that Nico hated him. His boyfriend kicked him out of his own damn house. Jason took another swig and decided he rather despised the taste of tequila.

"Jason," Jason corrected, "And I'm fine."

"Fine? At this rate, you're gonna finish the whole fuckin' bottle. You look like shit, man," the blond guy beside Lou Ellen slurred.

"I feel like shit," Jason retorted, clutching the bottle tighter.

"I'll drink to that," another guy—a bulky dude with an out-of-place rainbow tattoo—announced, tipping back the rest of his cup. Jason vaguely wondered what had been in his cup and if it tasted better than pure tequila.

"A fuckin' men," the first guy said. He and Lou Ellen both drank.

"S'what's going on with you?" Lou Ellen asked, sliding herself closer to Jason and pouring some of his bottle into her cup. Jason frowned. _Get your own damn bottle._

"Everything," he groaned, suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to vent. She wasn't Piper, but he supposed this drunk college girl would do. "I got in a fight with my boyfriend. We—we've never fought before. And I said stupid shit and now he like, fucking hates me and I can't go home because he's there and he told me to get out and I don't want _him _to leave and—and—" In a sudden fit, Jason chucked the half empty bottle across the room, watching as the contents spilled everywhere and the glass shattered. "Everything is fucking ruined and it's never going to be fixed! Just like that fucking bottle!"

"Whoa, dude," rainbow guy said, placing a cautious hand on Jason's shoulder. "Calm down, I'm sure things will work out."

"No you're not!" Jason wailed, shoving him away. Fuck, why had he wasted so much tequila. His plan to drink until he felt numb wouldn't exactly work without the alcohol. "You have no idea!"

"Here," the third, smallest guy said, passing Jason his cup. "You need this more than I do."

"I think he's had enough to drink tonight, Cecil," Lou Ellen chided, sounding more sober than she had a minute ago.

"I knew he didn't want me to interfere," Jason moaned, "But I just wanted to help him! I—I was trying to—"

Forming sentences felt a lot harder than usual, though Jason couldn't tell if it was due to his frustration or the two miserable hours of intense alcohol consumption. As if it mattered.

As if anything mattered.

It was all hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Jason was a fuck up of a boyfriend and now he could lose the only guy he'd ever loved.

"I love him," Jason admitted, "I love him so much. I love him so so so so so so so so much."

"Will," Lou Ellen said, addressing the blond dude, "Maybe we should clean up the glass."

"It'll be fine," Cecil interrupted, shoving her arm. "We are helping our poor gay friend Julian through a major crisis."

"Jason," Jason corrected glumly, snatching away the bottle of… Jason honestly didn't even know what… from between the Cecil and Will and took a large gulp, nearly choking in the process. It had a horrible artificial fruity taste. Alcohol really was disgusting, but if it made his mother's problems go away, eventually it would have to start working on him.

"Julian, Jason, same whatever," Cecil waved a hand in the air

"Maybe he's bisexual like me," Will grinned. "I could make you forget about your boyfriend I bet."

"My cousin Luke is gay," Cecil offered, "If things don't work out with your guy you could totally jump his bones. Or he could jump yours. Whatever's cool."

Be with… not Nico? Jason felt nauseated just considering it. (At least, that was probably why he felt nauseated.)

"Castellan is with Ethan Nakamura now," Lou Ellen chirped. "Where have you been?"

"I don't want to be with anyone else!" Jason hollered. "Only Nico!"

"Okay, okay, it's okay," Lou Ellen said, slinging her arms around Jason. "S'all okay. We're friends, Jeremy. Here, I'll give you my phone number and you can call me if you ever want to talk." She dug around for his cell phone.

Jason didn't bother correcting her this time. He feared if he opened his mouth he would begin to sob. And sob. And sob.

So instead he just shook his head and pushed his palms into his eyes. Fuck, he really felt shitty. But at least his current ailments distracted from the cheese grater wearing away at his heart.

Then the door opened, hitting the rainbow guy in the back and causing a string of curse words to spill from his mouth.

Jason examined the new arrivals—maybe they'd brought drinks—and saw the faces of his friends.

_Well, shit._

Piper led the charge, Leo at her side and lingering just behind both of them, Mitchell. Jason frowned at the trio. He didn't want them around. Piper, with her scary intuition, Leo with his knowledge of Jason's romantic life, and Mitchell… Mitchell was a problem for numerous reasons.

"Jason?" Piper said, scowling down at him. "What are you doing? We haven't seen you since we got here. We've been looking for you."

"I didn't want to be found," he mumbled. Being around Piper and Leo and Mitchell only intensified Jason's feeling of misery. He felt like he may burst. His mind zeroed in on one topic, one thing, one name. Nico. Nico Nico Nico Nico.

"One of those guys your boyfriend?" Lou Ellen asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Boyfriend?" Piper asked, glancing over her shoulders at the other two and then focusing her gaze on Jason. Who even cared if Piper knew the truth? Why shouldn't she? Maybe Piper would know what to do, maybe she'd know—

"Well, we found Jason, now," Leo said hurriedly, pushing into the room. "Come on, Jase, time to go."

Jason threw his fist down onto the floor. "No! No I don't want to go! I want to stay here with my new friends! This is Lou Ellen and Cecil and Will and…" he paused at the rainbow boy, "And that guy. I'm never going home! I can't! He'll get mad and—"

"Dios mio, Jason. You're completely wasted, aren't you?"

"Why would you say that?" Jason demanded, standing up shakily. "I—I've only had a little bit to drink!" He was aware that this was a total lie. Even as he stood, the room spun around him. Spinning as if the whole world was turning around Jason while he stood perfectly still at the center of it all. But Leo didn't need to know that.

"What's he going on about?" Mitchell asked Piper quietly. The dark haired girl shook her head. Whoa, okay, too much moving at once. Shit.

"I'm a bad boyfriend!" Jason wailed, falling onto the bed. "I'm such a fuck up!"

"Probably just crazy drunk talk," Leo deduced quickly, crossing to the bed. "I've never seen Jason take more than a sip of champagne in over three years. And God only knows how much he drank tonight."

"I'm not drunk!" Jason grumble again. "I feel fine! No, I don't feel fine. I feel like shit. But then Travis—or maybe Connor—gave me a drink and now I have a headache but what does it even matter? I'd rather have a million headaches than go home, Leo!"

Leo gave him a look as if to say, _close your fucking mouth right now you damn idiot. _

"We're going to talk about this, but first let's get you home, Jason," Piper said. "We'll call a cab."

"No!" Jason shouted. "I can't go home! That's the problem. He's too pissed! I can't face him! I'm a fuck up. I'm a fuck up. Fuck. Get me a drink."

"Who is pissed?" Piper urged.

How dense was she? "You're the one acting like the drunk one, Piper. Who do you think? It's N—"

"Mitchell, can you get Jason some water?" Leo blurted suddenly, cutting off Jason mid-sentence and clapping a hand over his mouth. "And Piper, call a cab?"

"Leeeeeeeeo," Jason groaned, tearing the hand away. He could smack the Latino right now. Jason needed to talk to Piper about this. Piper would fix things. "It's rude to interrupt people. I'm just trying to tell them—"

"Jason, you're wasted. Shut up now," Leo warned, talking right over him. The blond pouted.

"How about Mitchell gets the water and calls the cab?" Piper suggested. Jason almost saw gears turning in her head, which he may have found funny if he weren't so damn depressed. Normally Leo was the one with a mechanical brain.

"Mitchell doesn't know the first thing about New York cabs. Actually, you know what, I'll take Jason and we'll wait outside for the cab to come. I'll call. Piper, you find Khione and tell her thanks. Mitchell, make it a bottled water."

Before his friends could utter a word of protest, Leo dragged Jason out the door by his ear.

"By Jonathan!" Lou Ellen sang drunkenly. "Text me some time! We'll hang!"

"You fucking idiot," Leo scolded as they retreated down the hallway, checking over his shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

"I love him, Leo," Jason said, as if to justify everything. "Did you know that? I looove him. I just love Nico and I want him to not be mad at me and love me too. I love him love him love him love him soooo much." He felt on the verge of tears. In fact, throwing a tantrum sounded quite appealing to Jason.

Leo looked around hastily once more and pinched Jason's lips between his fingers. "Stop talking idiot, before you let the whole world know who has been hiding in your bedroom," he hissed.

They elbowed their way through the crowd—okay, Leo did all of the elbowing—and finally wound up back at the elevators. They got n alone and Leo quickly pressed the button to shut the doors. "But he needs to know how much I love him! Maybe if he knows that I love him—he won't be mad. I could message him right now and tell him how much I love him and—"

Jason's phone was snatched right out of his hands. Damn Leo Valdez. Damn him to hell. Jason needed to tell Nico, he needed his phone. He couldn't just send telepathic messages. Leo pocketed the phone. "Oh no, Casanova. You aren't breathing a word of love to that boy when you are drunk off your ass. Got that?"

"But—but—"

"Jason, there are two things I am certain of. One, Kevin Jonas will never have a solo career, and two, you never make any big declarations when you're drunk. Never never never. Whatever is going on with you two, it'll get worked out."

"You make no sense, Leo," Jason informed as they crossed through the lobby.

"Of course I do! Now come on, we gotta get out of here before Piper and Mitchell show up. You're a little too chatty for your own good, Jase."

"You really think I can work things out?" He mumbled.

"The way that boy looks at you? Wouldn't surprise me at all. Of course, there is the issue of your fantastic drunkenness."

"Don't fucking mock me. I'm not drunk," he protested as he tripped on the front step of the building. "Damn it! Fucking ground!"

"You're hopeless," Leo sighed.

…

Nico stared at Jason's computer screen, wondering if he should just go ahead and message Jason. _Come home, _he wanted to say. It was past midnight now, and still no sign of the blond. Granted, Nico had told him to get out, but it wasn't like Jason could move out forever. Yet here Nico sat at 12:03am, utterly Jasonless and more miserably alone than ever.

Sister: Dead

Mother: Doesn't want to be saved

Boyfriend: …

He sighed and closed the laptop. Fuck Jason. Maybe a night wandering in the cold would do his idiot brain some good. Maybe Jason could go to Nico's old apartment to warm up over his father's fireplace. Or in the oven, kabob style. Who fucking knew with Hades di Angelo?

Nico slammed his fist against the desk with a growl of frustration.

Where the _hell_ was Jason?

He could stay gone, Nico was done with him.

If he didn't get back in the next thirty seconds Nico would go out looking for him.

Nico would bolt the damn apartment door and let Jason beg.

Nico only wanted to cuddle against the blond and forget this day had ever happened.

He was angry enough to kill Jason himself.

He loved him like crazy.

_Fuck._ It was like Nico had two different brains, the one that wanted to strangle Jason and the one who wanted to hug him so tight he could barely breathe.

Nico went to the kitchen and started a kettle of water. He could _really _use a steaming cup of hot chocolate right now. Being in the apartment all alone was a lot more depressing when he wasn't sure when Jason would return.

Should Nico make Jason a cup of chocolate too? What if he was cold when he returned? No, that wasn't Nico's problem. Fucking let that meddling bastard be cold. In fact, Nico didn't even know if he would say a single word to him.

When the kettle began to whistle, Nico poured himself a cup and located the powder Jason used. He methodically spooned the powder into the cup and stirred, focusing on the drink and only the drink. Only after a minute of tedious stirring did he recall that Jason put the powder in the cup _before _the water. He threw the spoon into the sink in frustration.

Nico crossed to the fridge to get the whipped cream—he wanted to replicate the drink as closely as possible—and cursed to find there wasn't any. "Fucking perfect."

No whipped cream. No idea where Jason was. No fucking point in doing anything. He poured the cocoa down the sink without a single taste. Had he really though a hot beverage would solve all of his problems? Sherlock Holmes couldn't even solve all of Nico's problems.

Then, a miracle happened. Or maybe a nightmare. The front door opened.

Nico's entire body tensed as he turned to the sound. Jason, finally? Or Mrs. Grace? Which would be worse right now?

He didn't expect to see the stupid mug of Leo Valdez shoving Jason through the front door while he protested, "No Leo I can't I can't I can't I can't." The blond slumped against Leo and nearly sent them both toppling over.

"Damn it, Jason, control yourself."

Nico's feet carried him in the direction of the boys, almost without meaning to. Something was wrong with Jason, and Nico had a sick feeling he knew what.

"Leo?" He questioned. "What are you—"

"Your boy toy is fucking wasted. Absolutely plastered. And not my problem anymore," he shoved the drunken boy in Nico's direction. Jason stumbled into Nico's arms and gripped his shoulders for support.

"Nico," he groaned. "I'm sorry. I'm—don't be mad at me. I wasn't thinking! Forgive!" Jason fell to his knees and clung to the younger boy's legs. Nico stared down at him in wordless shock. Jason, _his _Jason, drunk? What the fuck had he been thinking?

"Where the hell were you two? You didn't think to _stop _him from drinking? I notice you're perfectly sober," Nico snapped, absentmindedly brushing his fingers through his foolish boyfriend's hair.

Concern for his wellbeing first, anger could come later.

"What, no 'Thanks Leo for bringing my boyfriend home before his drunk ass could blab to the whole world about how he's hiding me in his bedroom, that was so kind of you to leave the party early.' And it's not like I followed him around all fucking night, you know."

_Party? _Nico wanted to demand. Instead he let out a deep breath and tried to quell his anger. "Thank you, Leo."

"I mean, tons of fine ladies were hoping to get a piece of the Leo and I had to turn all of them down to take Jason's sorry ass home. Really, you're lucky I'm so thoughtful and selfless."

"Don't push it," Nico growled. "It's your damn fault he even knew where I lived, you moron."

"Nicoooo!" Jason wailed. "Stop ignoring me. We can fix this! We can work it out! I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Nico glanced down at the blond—looking absolutely pathetic with his arms wrapped around Nico's legs—and sighed.

"Come on, let's sit you down on the couch," he said, unlatching Jason's arms and practically dragging him to the sectional, which would have been much easier if Jason didn't fight him on it.

"We're made for each other, Nico! You can't get rid of me! Please! We can watch Casablanca! Kiss me!"

Nico deposited him on the couch. "Stay here and lay down, got it?"

Jason gave a sorry nod and frowned, like a scolded child.

The younger boy rubbed his forehead and crossed back to Leo.

"At least he's home now," Leo said. "I'm sure Mitchell would have loved to get a piece of him if I hadn't been there."

Mitchell, Mitchell, Mitchell… where had Nico heard that na—

Piper's cousin. The family reunion.

Oh hell no. _Had _he tried to move in on Jason? Had anything happened while Leo wasn't around? A sick feeling twisted in his gut. No, no, Jason wouldn't do that. Argument or not, Jason wouldn't cheat on Nico to spite him, right?

Maybe _sober _Jason wouldn't… _Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. _

"Look," Leo said, interrupting Nico's internal freak out, "I don't know what happened between you two and I don't care, but don't blame me. Just fix your fucking problems, it's annoying. Besides, you two live together, is any argument really bad enough to change that? I'm just saying, Jason may be an idiot, but he also really _really _cares about you. So just forgive him, okay? I don't want to have to do this again."

Nico could only stare at him. He couldn't tell if Leo actually gave a crap, or if he really was just annoyed to have to deal with it like he'd claimed, either way, the words of Jason's best friend surprised him. Nico had got the impression that Leo would really rather Nico fall off the face of the earth and leave Jason alone forever, yet here he was, telling Nico to give Jason another chance. And he'd followed Hades several blocks knowing exactly how dangerous he was.

"Th—thanks again, Leo."

"Don't mention it, di Angelo," Leo replied. "No, really, don't mention it. I'm too pretty to go to prison."

Nico rolled his eyes. So much for the moment of questionable friendship. "You're an asshole," he told the Latino half-heartedly.

Leo chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Take care of your boyfriend, he's going to feel like shit in the morning."

"He's so stupid," Nico sighed, his eyes drifting back to Jason, who sat pouting on the couch.

"Tell me about it." Leo left, dropping Jason's key on the counter on his way out.

And Nico was suddenly alone with Jason.

"Nico, come here," Jason whined, "I just want to cuddle. Don't hate me, please."

"I don't hate you," the younger boy said, keeping his feet firmly in place. He still loved Jason, but that didn't mean he was ready to ignore what had happened earlier, what Jason had said, or how he'd handled himself afterwards. "But I am pretty fucking pissed at you."

Jason hung his head in shame.

"Is this how you handle conflict, Jay?" Nico asked as he began pacing the room. "You go out and drown yourself in alcohol? Your mother is a fucking alcoholic! What goes through your mind half the time? How big of a death wish do you have?" He threw his arms up in the air.

"I—I'm sorry," Jason sniffled.

Nico halted. Was Jason crying?

He started crying harder. "I up—upset you. I was so ash—ashamed. I c—can't lose you."

The dark haired boy watched as his boyfriend curled into a ball and sobbed on the couch. Perhaps Jason was still a little too drunk for a lecture. "Jason, shh, it's okay," Nico soothed, going to kneel beside the couch. The sobs calmed down to just tears.

"Please don't hate me! We need—I need—each other—need—fuck, maybe I did drink too much," the blond sputtered.

"Let's talk about this when you're sober, okay?" Nico suggested, wiping away Jason's tears.

"You don't—you—hate me?" He choked, looking on the verge of sleep at this point.

"I already told you I don't. I'm your boyfriend, Jay. Now come on, you're too full of alcohol for us to be having this conversation. Let's put you to sleep."

"Kiss me," Jason muttered as Nico helped him off of the couch. He leaned in and tried to place his lips on Nico's, but the younger boy easily shoved him off.

"I don't kiss drunk people," he stated, guiding Jason down the hall and to their bedroom.

Once they got into the room, Nico retrieved the old comforter from the closet, the same one he had used as a makeshift bed when he'd first started staying here. "You're too drunk to sleep in the bed," Nico told the blond. In Jason's current state, he'd probably end up vomiting or pissing all over the sheets.

"I hate the floor," Jason protested, attempting to nuzzle against Nico's neck.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to drink away your bad feelings," he retorted without sympathy, dropping the comforter on the floor between the bed and the bathroom. He considered getting Jason some medicine, but figured that the other boy would just end up throwing it up. That would have to wait until morning. Hydration though, that Nico could do.

"Get ready for bed, I'll go get you a glass of water," Nico announced. Jason gave a solemn nod.

As Nico stood in the kitchen and filled a cup with water, he allowed himself to consider what would happen when Jason was sober again. They couldn't just go back to normal, obviously. But Nico also knew he couldn't stay mad at Jason, at least not for long. He supposed his boyfriend had acted with good intentions, no matter how stupid they were. Reasonably, he knew the smartest answer was still to get out of Jason's life, but that didn't seem like it was going to happen. Maybe he could have managed it three hours ago, but now? With Jason home and—reasonably—safe? Nico wouldn't, Nico _couldn't _leave his side now.

What a fucked up situation these boys had gotten themselves into.

Back in the room, Nico found Jason passed out on the floor, fully clothed and only half on top of the blanket Nico had left for him. Rather than try to rouse him, Nico shut off the lights and pulled the blanket so it partially covered the blond.

"Night, Jay," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on top of the blond's head.

"I love you," Jason mumbled, his eyes cracking open for only a second. Nico tensed. Then, just as quickly, the blond was deep asleep once more.

Had Jason just… Had he been talking to Nico?

_No, _Nico thought. Drunk talk. It had to be. For all Nico knew, Jason could have confused him with Thalia, or Leo, or really anyone. He was barely conscious and completely wasted. Nothing that he said could possibly be taken seriously.

At least, that's what Nico kept telling himself. _Don't dwell on this, it doesn't mean anything. _After all, hadn't Nico decided from the start that his feelings for Jason were far more serious than Jason's feelings for him?

With that unpleasant thought, Nico crawled into Jason's bed, sweatpants, t-shirt, and all. But none of that was enough to stop Nico from shivering. All. Night. Long.

* * *

_A/N: So this is the last weekly chapter. It's been fun while it lasted. From here on out the chapters will come as I finish them, and I promise it will RARELY be on a weekly basis. My schoolwork owns my life. That being said, difficult chapters will obviously take longer. 15 is trying to be difficult with me. But I'll hopefully get this chapter up before Christmas Break. No promises though. Now would just be a really great time to follow me on tumblr at nephilimgirlbooksSee you next time darlings!_


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